BR  125  . S9  5  1923 
Swain,  Richard  La  Rue, 
What  and  where  is  God? 


I860- 


■h 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2019  with  funding  from 
Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


https://archive.org/details/whatwhereisgodhuOOswai_O 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

HEW  YORK  •  BOSTON  •  CHICAGO  •  DALLAS 
ATLANTA  •  SAN  FRANCISCO 

MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  Limited 

LONDON  •  BOMBAY  •  CALCUTTA 
MELBOURNE 


THE  MACMILLAN  CO.  OP  CANADA,  Lm 

TORONTO 


WHAT  AND  WHERE 

IS  GOD? 


A  HUMAN  ANSWER  TO  THE  DEEP  RE¬ 
LIGIOUS  CRY  OF  THE  MODERN  SOUL 


BY  v 

RICHARD  LaRUE  SWAIN,  Ph.D. 


J13eU>  poxk 

THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 

1923 

All  rights  reserved 


Copyright,  1920, 

By  THE  MACMILLAN  COMPANY 


Set  up  and  electrotyped.  Published,  October,  1920 


TO  THE  LOVED  ONES 

OF  MY  FATHER’S  FAMILY 
AND 

TO  THE  DEAR  ONES 

OF  MY  OWN  FAMILY 

30  TRULY  A  PART  OF  THESE  PAGES 
I  GRATEFULLY 
DEDICATE  THIS  BOOK 


PREFACE 


The  foreground  of  this  book  has  largely  to  do  with  the 
answering  of  vital  questions  that  have  sprung  from  the 
suffering  souls  of  men  and  women  with  whom  the  author 
has  been  sympathetically  associated.  Considerable  atten¬ 
tion  has  been  given  to  the  natural  sequence  of  these  ques¬ 
tions  in  order  that  the  answers  might  form  a  more  or  less 
orderly  line  of  discussion.  While  the  method  of  answer¬ 
ing  a  particular  set  of  questions  does  not  permit  of  a 
strictly  logical  treatment  of  the  themes,  yet  in  the  back¬ 
ground  there  is  a  definite  and  concrete  picture  of  God,  of 
the  universe,  and  of  man  as  he  is  enfolded  in  God’s  world. 

The  chapters  on  immortality  contain  a  further  discus¬ 
sion  of  God,  man,  and  the  universe  as  they  move  on  in 
endless  time.  To  know  “  what  and  where  ”  God  is,  it  is 
necessary  to  understand  how  man  and  the  universe  exist 
in  God,  and  what  God  purposes  to  achieve  through  them. 

If  we  are  to  reach  people’s  minds,  their  questions  are  of 

supreme  importance  because  they  show  where  the  mind  is 

focused.  The  average  person  can,  as  a  rule,  proceed  no 

farther  with  a  subject  until  his  main  difficulty  is  removed. 

Therefore,  we  have  preferred  the  question  to  the  natural 

division  of  the  subject,  believing  that  the  reader  would 

be  able  to  see  the  logic  that  is  beneath  it  all. 

•  • 

Vll 


PREFACE 


•  •  • 

Vlll 

The  chapters  on  the  Bible  are  not  closely  related  to  the 
rest  of  the  book,  but  as  the  Scriptures  contain  the  “  speci¬ 
fications  ”  and  “  blue-prints  ”  from  God,  it  seemed  import¬ 
ant  to  include  a  description  of  how  we  must  approach 
them  if  we  are  not  to  misread  their  spiritual  content. 

Though  the  material  of  this  volume  has  been  given  in 
extemporaneous  addresses,  yet  no  part  of  it  has  been  re¬ 
duced  to  writing  until  now.  Its  appearance  in  book  form 
is  in  response  to  many  requests.  Especially  helpful  has 
been  the  encouragement  of  Professor  Douglas  Clyde 
Macintosh  of  Yale  University  who  has  kindly  read  the 
manuscript  and  made  valuable  suggestions. 

R.  L.  S. 

306  Golden  Hill, 

Bridgeport,  Conn. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I  PAGE 

Losing  God,  or  the  Honest  Atheist . i 

This  chapter  is  a  case  study  showing  how  false  experi¬ 
ences  of  religion  and  erroneous  conceptions  of  God 
may  result  in  agnosticism  or  atheism. 

CHAPTER  II 

How  Science  Saves  Religion,  or  Modern  Knowledge  and 

Religion . 39 

Introduction . 39 

1.  What  is  God? . 43 

2.  Who  is  God? . 48 

3.  Where  is  God? . 53 

4.  What  does  God  do? . 62 

5.  If  the  Ancients  made  their  gods,  how  do  we  know  that 

we  are  not  making  our  God? . 71 

6.  May  we  not  be  communing  with  a  mere  idea  ?  .  .  .73 

CHAPTER  III 

Does  Man  Have  a  Soul,  and  What  Is  His  Place  in  the 

Universe? . 75 

1.  What  is  man?  .  75 

2.  Who  is  man? . 77 

3.  Would  the  absence  of  man  cripple  God?  ....  84 

4.  What  could  an  infinite  God  care  for  such  a  little  speck?  87 

5.  Is  not  socialism  the  best  religion  there  is  ?  .  .  .  .90 

ix 


X 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  IV  pAGE 

Does  God  Have  a  Body,  and  Could  He  Become  a  Man  ?  .  104 

1.  Introductory  statement . 104 

2.  The  idea  of  the  Trinity  and  how  it  came  about  .  .  106 

3.  Was  Jesus  God  or  a  good  man  only? . 113 

4.  Can  modern  psychology  any  longer  believe  in  the 


Deity  of  Jesus? . 116 

5.  Where  does  Jesusi  belong  in  the  religious,  social  and 

thought  worlds? . 132 

6.  Can  God  die? . 135 

CHAPTER  V 

Losing  the  Sense  of  Immortality . 142 

A  general  statement . 142 

1.  The  contagion  of  doubt . 144 

2.  The  inability  to  make  a  religious  use  of  modern 

knowledge . 146 


3.  The  loss  of  a  satisfying  conception  of  the  future  life  .  147 

4.  The  growing  habit  of  classifying  the  future  with 

things  unknown  and  unknowable . 148 

5.  An  inadequate  conception  of  the  kingdom  of  God  .  150 

6.  We  automatically  lose  the  assurance  of  the  future 

when  we  lose  the  reality  of  the  present  .  .  .153 

CHAPTER  VI 

Finding  the  Sense  of  Immortality . 157 

How  shall  we  find  the  assurance  of  immortality?  .  .  .157 

1.  We  automatically  find  the  assurance  of  the  future 

when  we  find  the  reality  of  the  present  .  .  .157 

Some  reasons  why  the  quest  for  reality  is  not  more 
frequently  and  earnestly  undertaken. 

a.  The  moral  failure  of  Christians . 158 


CONTENTS 


xi 


PAGE 

b.  Because  the  average  Christian  cannot  answer 

technical  questions . 159 

c.  Antiquated  forms  irritating  to  sceptics  .  .  .  162 

d.  The  provincialism  of  sceptics . 164 

2.  Equal  striving  for  spiritual  and  material  things  is 

necessary . 166 

3.  The  final  step  in  the  effort  to  know  God . 173 

4.  Conscious  of  the  existence  of  God,  we  become  certain 

of  immortality . 176 

CHAPTER  VII 

What  Difference  Does  It  Make  Whether  We  Believe 
in  Immortality  if  We  Live  as  We  Should  in 
This  Life? . 182 

1.  How  can  one  live  as  he  should? . 182 

2.  The  difference  in  social  service . 183 

3.  The  difference  in  personal  preparation . 186 

CHAPTER  VIII 

How  Shall  We  Conceive  of  the  Future  Life?  .  .  .  193 

1.  Its  relation  to  the  present  constitution  of  things  .  .193 

2.  Where  is  heaven? . 196 

3.  Will  there  be  a  Holy  City? . 198 

4.  Will  there  be  music? . 201 

5.  Shall  we  meet  our  loved  ones? . 201 

6.  Shall  we  see  God? . 204 

7.  Will  there  be  burdens  to  bear  in  heaven?  ....  205 

CHAPTER  IX 

Losing  the  Bible  to  Find  It . 207 

If  the  Bible  contains  errors,  how  do  we  know  that  any  of 

it  is  true? . 207 


Xll 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

A  general  statement . 207 

The  Method  of  Finding  God’s  Word 

1.  The  story  of  Creation . 212 

2.  The  story  of  the  Garden . 220 

3.  The  Bible  stories  in  general . 223 

4.  The  laws  of  Israel  —  moral  and  ceremonial  .  .  .  224 

5.  The  Book  of  Job . 226 

CHAPTER  X 

Losing  the  Bible  to  Find  It  (Continued) . 232 

The  method  of  finding  God’s  Word  (Continued) 

1.  The  Psalms . 232 

2.  The  prophets  in  general . 235 

3.  Jonah . 241 

4.  The  New  Testament  in  general . 247 

5.  The  Book  of  Revelation . 250 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


CHAPTER  I 

LOSING  GOD,  OR  THE  HONEST  ATHEIST 

Why  does  God  leave  His  very  existence  in  doubt  by  forever 
hiding  Himself  ? 

If  there  were  a  God  would  He  not  make  Himself  known  in 
such  a  way  that  no  one  could  possibly  doubt  His  existence  f 

Why  should  we  be  expected  to  love  and  obey  a  God  whose 
existence  is  still  a  subject  of  discussion ? 

Could  a  righteous  and  loving  Father  leave  any  of  His  chil¬ 
dren  m  doubt  of  His  existence? 

While  I  was  dining  one  day  with  a  young  minister  and 
his  wife,  the  latter  disclosed  to  me  her  religious  state  of 
mind.  Said  she : 

“  I  have  no  God !  They  have  taken  Him  away  and 
I  do  not  know  where  to  find  Him.  My  childhood  con¬ 
ception  of  a  Man-God  on  a  throne  in  heaven  is  gone  — 
and  I  think  rightly  gone;  but  I  have  nothing  to  take 
its  place.  I  hear  them  speak  of  an  immanent  God;  of 
a  God  who  fills  all  nature.  And  I  have  no  objection  to 
this  except  that  it  brings  no  relief.  Nature  is  so  inex- 


2 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


pressibly  vast  and  complex  that,  to  my  mind,  a  God 
who  fills  all  nature  is  so  infinitely  big  and  spread  out 
that  I  can  neither  know  Him  nor  love  Him.  He  is  al¬ 
together  too  attenuated  for  me ;  besides,  this  makes  Him 
so  much  everywhere  that  He  seems  to  be  nowhere.  Here 
I  am,  without  a  God,  working  myself  nearly  to  death 
in  a  great  Church ;  and  my  heart  is  breaking  for  a  Father 
to  whom  I  can  go,  as  I  once  did,  with  all  my  hopes  and 
fears.  Moreover,  all  my  young  women  friends  feel  as 
I  do.  We  often  speak  of  this  among  ourselves  without 
knowing  where  to  turn  for  relief.” 

The  distressing  experience  of  this  minister’s  wife  is 
more  common  than  many  think.  With  her  type  of  mind 
it  was  inevitable  that  she  should  experience  doubt  while 
passing  from  the  crude  to  the  mature.  Being  bright,  con¬ 
secrated,  and  sincere  she  had  simply  hastened  the  crisis. 
That  the  Church  is  not  always  present  to  take  care  of 
its  own  passengers  when  they  arrive  at  these  way-stations 
is  the  greater  pity;  because  representatives  of  various 
spiritual  inns  will  be  sure  to  meet  every  incoming  train. 
And  if  the  Church  is  neglectful  of  its  spiritual  pilgrims, 
it  compels  them  to  spend  their  night  of  doubt  in  the 
depot  or  on  a  bench  in  the  park  exposed  to  the  tender 
mercy  of  religious  fakers.  Were  the  difficulties  of  this 
minister’s  wife  met,  it  would  be  a  great  blessing  to  her 
and  to  thousands  of  other  troubled  souls ;  and  at  the  same 
time  it  would  immeasurably  enrich  our  common  Christian 
life. 

Because  of  our  newly  acquired  knowledge  of  the  physi- 


LOSING  GOD 


3 


cal  universe  multitudes,  both  without  and  within  the 
Church,  are  asking  what  God  is  and  where  He  is  that  they 
may  find  Him. 

The  poverty  of  faith  and  confusion  of  ideas  concern¬ 
ing  God  were  recently  brought  to  light  by  Professor 
Leuba  in  his  questionnaire.  Many  seem  to  think  there 
is  no  place  for  God  in  their  conception  of  the  universe. 
Having  no  longer  a  satisfying  idea  of  God,  the  thought  of 
Him  is  fading  from  their  minds.  And  while  some  re¬ 
joice  in  their  scepticism,  others  deeply  regret  a  waning 
faith. 

All  this  only  proves  that  the  world  is  over-ripe  for  a 
finer  conception  of  God  and  His  universe;  and  that  a 
better  and  more  definite  idea  must  be  obtained,  or  doubt 
will  run  into  positive  unbelief.  Modem  learning  is 
thought  by  many  to  be  particularly  hard  on  faith.  Some 
of  us,  however,  have  found  the  world  of  modern  knowl¬ 
edge  more  congenial  to  faith  and  much  superior  to  the 
old  unscientific  world  as  a  place  in  which  to  live  the  simple 
Christian  life.  This  better  vision  should  be  given  to  the 
people  with  all  possible  speed.  They  should  be  taught 
to  see  that  as  boulevards  and  steel  bridges  are  superior 
to  mud  roads  and  dangerous  fords,  so  the  new  Christian 
highway  is  better  than  the  old.  Nevertheless,  new  knowl¬ 
edge  in  certain  directions  does  present  grave  difficulties 
for  those  who  retain  crude  conceptions  of  God  and  er¬ 
roneous  views  of  His  relation  to  the  forces  of  nature 
that  envelop  us.  Until  we  do  the  work  that  our  times 
demand  of  us,  even  Christians  may  not  hope  to  remain 


4 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


immune  from  the  devastating  influences  of  doubt.  There 
is  a  deep  cry  in  the  modern  soul  that  must  be  met. 

While  our  hope  of  knowing  God  rests  on  His  imma¬ 
nence  yet  the  idea  of  immanence  has  not  been  sufficiently 
clarified  to  meet  our  practical  demands.  If  we  continue 
to  teach  the  beautiful  doctrine  that  God  is  everywhere,  in 
the  vague  way  that  is  now  so  prevalent,  an  ever  increasing 
number  will  surely  come  to  believe  that  He  is  nowhere. 

Lovingly  and  faithfully  our  mothers  taught  us  that  God 
was  everywhere  in  all  majesty  and  power.  But  it  was 
different.  They  believed  that  God  had  a  form,  or 
nucleus,  in  heaven,  and  that  His  spirit  radiated  from  this 
form  to  the  remotest  particles  of  matter  in  the  universe. 
They  also  believed  that  when  transported  at  death  to  His 
central  abode  they  should  look  with  rapture  upon  His  in¬ 
effable  being.  They  expected  to  see  the  glorious  presence 
of  the  Father  distinct  from  the  glorified  body  of  Jesus. 
In  their  thought,  the  visible  Jesus  was  literally  on  the  right 
hand  of  a  visible  Father.  However,  this  conception  of  a 
visible  and  localized  God  in  heaven  is  either  gone  or  go¬ 
ing;  and  for  the  average  mind  there  remains  a  Deity,  if 
any,  as  attenuated  as  stellar  ether,  and  scarcely  more  per¬ 
sonal  than  the  forces  of  nature.  No  one  ever  made  a 
more  rational  demand  than  the  minister’s  wife  when  she 
asked  for  a  particular  God  to  supplement  a  universal  God. 

We  must  get  on  common  ground  with  our  fellows,  if 
we  really  wish  to  help,  and  sow  our  seed  in  the  soil  of 
living  minds.  The  supreme  need  of  the  hour  is  for  some¬ 
one  to  help  the  masses  to  move  out  of  the  old  “  shack  ” 


LOSING  GOD 


5 


of  an  unscientific  world  into  God’s  beautiful,  expanding- 
palace.  Though  some  new  frames  are  needed  for  the 
old  pictures,  yet  no  treasure  should  be  left  to  perish  in 
the  old  “shack”;  because  the  ampler  world  of  modern 
knowledge  will  never  be  home  until  the  pictures  of  our 
childhood  hang  on  the  wall  and  the  fire  burns  in  the 
furnace.  The  larger  abode  of  a  scientific  universe  is  a 
veritable  prison  when  we  have  cast  out  the  God  of  our 
fathers.  But  whether  we  would  or  not,  we  must  learn 
to  do  business  in  the  new  world;  and  sooner  or  later  we 
shall  learn  that  we  can  not  do  business  in  one  kind  of  a 
universe  and  foster  religion  in  another.  Religion  must 
thrive  in  the  new  world  or  perish.  Neither  is  it  enough 
for  a  few  scholars  to  see  their  way  in  the  new  order ;  they 
must  show  others  how  to  be  religious  without  stultifying 
their  intellects.  In  other  words,  men  must  see  before  a 
religious  appeal  can  reach  their  conscience. 

There  are  as  many  ways  of  becoming  a  sceptic  as  there 
are  of  becoming  a  Christian.  We  must  admit,  however, 
that  careless  living  has  multiplied  the  difficulties  of  faith 
for  every  one  of  us.  And  yet,  a  sincere  effort  to  make 
religion  real  in  one’s  own  personal  experience  often 
hastens  unbelief.  Those  who  think  that  no  one  honestly 
doubts  the  existence  of  God  have  a  poor  knowledge  of 
the  facts ;  because,  in  many  minds,  this  is  the  only  serious 
doubt.  If  only  they  could  make  this  point  secure,  every¬ 
thing  else  would  fall  in  line  as  a  matter  of  course.  To 
a  singular  degree  this  has  been  true  in  my  own  case.  The 
one  word  “  God  ”  is  a  creed  large  enough  to  burst  all 


6 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


little  worlds,  if  the  word  stands  for  a  fact  which  has 
any  worthy  meaning.  Some  people,  always  wondering 
whether  God  is  good  to  them,  or  whether  He  really  thinks 
of  them  at  all,  are  greatly  shocked  if  some  one  else  doubts 
God’s  existence.  Whereas,  to  believe  in  Christ’s  God  and 
at  the  same  time  doubt  His  goodness  is  a  flat  contradic¬ 
tion.  For  many  of  us  this  would  be  impossible. 

Following  the  advice  of  friends  —  whose  judgment  I 
trust  —  I  venture  to  give  a  simple  history  of  my  own 
early  religious  life.  This  is  for  the  sake  of  finding  a 
point  of  contact  with  those  who  have  little  or  no  faith; 
and  with  the  hope  of  stating  some  of  the  real  problems. 
Some  may  think  this  a  dangerous  thing  to  do.  But  un¬ 
less  we  know  the  problems  of  suffering  souls,  how  are 
we  to  solve  them?  Besides,  the  knowledge  of  another’s 
difficulty  with  its  solution,  should  enrich  the  faith  of  one 
having  no  serious  difficulties  of  his  own;  and  certainly 
it  would  make  him  more  useful  among  people  differently 
constituted  from  himself. 

My  father  became  a  Protestant  at  twenty  years  of  age 
to  the  great  distress  of  his  Roman  Catholic  mother.  At 
twenty-two  he  married  Sarah  Elizabeth  Carr  of  Great 
Dalby,  England.  They  were  married  in  the  quaint  old 
church  of  the  town  by  the  Episcopal  rector.  Later,  my 
father  preached  in  England  for  the  Wesleyans.  How¬ 
ever,  on  coming  to  America  in  1857  he  identified  him¬ 
self  with  the  United  Brethren  ajnd  remained  with  them 
until  his  death.  As  he  located  in  what  was  then  the 
frontier  of  this  country,  I  can  duplicate  out  of  my  own 


LOSING  GOD 


7 


life  much  that  is  to  be  found  in  “  Black  Rock  ”  and  “  Sky 
Pilot.”  In  the  midst  of  much  irreligion,  my  parents  put 
vital  religion  into  the  very  marrow  of  my  bones. 

Going  far  and  near  to  preach  in  little  schoolhouses, 
my  father  left  us  much  alone  in  the  old  log  cabin  of 
one  room ;  especially  in  the  winter  season  when  he 
preached  nearly  every  night.  His  home-coming  about 
once  a  month  was  a  great  event.  In  the  summertime  he 
would  ride  thirty  miles  on  Sunday,  preach  three  times, 
and  be  back  home  Monday  by  one  o’clock  to  delve  into 
every  kind  of  rough  work  as  a  true  frontiersman.  I 
pity  the  little  boy  who  has  never  had  the  privilege  of 
rifling  a  pair  of  saddlebags  on  the  return  of  his  father. 
Sometimes  my  father  was  detained  on  his  way  home  by 
overflowing  rivers  that  were  too  mad  for  the  horse  to 
swim.  And  once  he  was  detained  by  watching  all  night 
to  prevent  a  rough  gang  from  hanging  one  of  his  dearest 
friends.  The  long,  long  Sundays  that  I  spent  alone  with 
my  mother  in  the  old  cabin  are  indelibly  stamped  on  my 
memory.  Sometimes  I  thought  I  should  die  with  loneli¬ 
ness.  At  such  times  my  mother  would  try  to  comfort 
me  with  stories,  or  with  letters  from  her  invalid  mother 
across  the  sea ;  and  then  we  both  would  cry.  Once  when 
I  refused  to  be  comforted,  and  bitterly  complained  be¬ 
cause  my  father  left  us  alone,  my  mother  explained  to 
me  in  a  simple,  awe-inspiring  manner  the  tragedy  of  the 
World’s  sin  and  sorrow  together  with  the  suffering  love 
of  God.  How  my  father  was  going  forth  in  God’s  com¬ 
pelling  love  to  help  Him  save  His  children  from  the  im- 


8 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


pending  doom  of  sin,  she  pictured  so  vividly  that  I  felt 
glad  to  live  and  suffer  in  such  a  cause.  This  was,  prob¬ 
ably,  the  most  effective  sermon  to  which  I  ever  listened. 
And  then  my  mother  gathered  me  into  her  arms  and  made 
me  conscious  of  the  greatest  thing  in  the  world ;  a  love  that 
is  infinitely  deeper  than  words;  something  so  like  God 
that  we  need  look  no  farther  for  a  fitting  symbol  of  Him. 

As  a  child  I  was  very  susceptible  to  fear.  I  remem¬ 
ber  one  bitter  cold  night  when  the  winds  howled  and  the 
thieves  prowled.  Every  nerve  in  me  ached  with  fear. 
That  night  my  mother  kneeling  by  her  bed,  with  her  little 
children  at  her  side,  prayed  in  a  low  tremulous  voice, 
and  with  a  sweet  English  accent,  until  God  seemed  nearer 
than  the  raging  winds,  and  more  powerful  than  the  evil 
forces  that  were  abroad  to  do  us  harm.  How  happy  I 
was  the  next  morning  to  find  that  the  wind  had  sub¬ 
sided,  and  that  the  horses  were  not  stolen,  and  that  no 
evil  had  befallen  us!  When  a  little  child,  religion  was 
as  real  to  me  as  my  parents,  or  the  atmosphere  I  breathed, 
or  the  food  I  ate. 

I  am  not  certain  of  ever  having  been  in  a  church  until 
I  was  almost  grown.  But  when  I  was  probably  five 
years  old,  I  accompanied  my  mother  to  a  revival  meeting 
in  an  old  schoolhouse.  This  schoolhouse,  even  to  the 
lathing,  was  made  of  black  walnut  that  was  sawed  at 
a  local  mill.  Which  of  the  many  denominations  was  con¬ 
ducting  the  services  I  do  not  know.  But  one  night  there 
were  probably  ten  people  kneeling  at  what  they  called  the 
“  mourner’s  bench.”  During  the  evening  such  a  psychic 


LOSING  GOD 


9 


wave  passed  over  .those  at  the  altar  that  the  packed  con¬ 
gregation,  to  see  what  was  happening,  rose  as  one  person. 
At  this  point,  my  mother  lifted  me  onto  the  desk  before 
her  which  afforded  me  a  plain  view  of  all  those  who  were 
kneeling  at  the  front.  A  young  woman  with  head  thrown 
back  and  hair  disheveled,  was  wringing  her  hands  and 
crying  in  piercing  tones,  “  O  God,  save  my  poor  soul  from 
hell!  ”  Just  beyond,  a  man  lay  in  a  trance.  And  then 
another  woman,  with  perfectly  rapturous  face,  throwing 
her  head  back,  clapped  her  hands  and  shouted  “  glory.” 
Other  seekers  were  groaning  and  pleading  with  tremu¬ 
lous  voices.  The  Christians  who  were  assisting  the 
seekers  alternated  their  groanings  of  intercession  with 
“  amens  ”  and  shouts  of  praise.  As  it  appeared  to  me 
the  realms  of  the  blessed  and  the  realms  of  the  damned 
were  mingling  their  voices  in  that  tumultuous  scene. 
Heaven  and  hell  seemed  veritable  realities  before  my  eyes, 
and  the  picture  was  burned  into  my  soul. 

The  religion  of  my  parents  was  simple,  loving,  and 
thoroughly  ethical.  These  meetings  were  not  criticized 
by  them  except  that  my  father  sometimes  remarked  at 
home  that  he  liked  the  quiet  meetings  best. 

Much  of  the  time  there  were  no  meetings  in  the  com¬ 
munity.  Yet  betimes  services  were  conducted  by  all 
kinds  of  ministers,  “  descript  and  non-descript.”  It  was 
not  uncommon  to  hear  these  ministers  say  that  no  one 
ever  got  to  heaven  except  by  way  of  the  “  mourner’s 
bench.”  One  minister  remarked  that  there  was  not  a 
converted  person  in  the  Presbyterian  Church  except  a 


IO 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


few  individuals  who  were  converted  outside  at  such 
meetings  as  he  was  conducting.  Never  having  seen  any 
of  them,  I  took  his  word  for  it  that  the  Presbyterians 
were  an  ungodly  set. 

Altogether  it  became  a  fixed  thought  in  my  mind  that 
I  should  need  to  get  “  old  people’s  religion  ”  or  be  lost. 
Indeed,  that  belief  was  very  common  throughout  Amer¬ 
ica  when  I  was  a  child.  Even  the  Presbyterians  believed 
it,  though  they  kept  their  mourner’s  bench  out  of  sight. 
Accordingly,  when  I  was  fifteen  years  old,  and  getting 
to  be  a  big  boy,  the  crisis  came ;  because  temptations  were 
coming  in  thick  and  fast.  Going  to  a  revival  one  night 
in  the  schoolhouse  and  finding  the  seats  all  full,  I  took  a 
board  from  under  the  stove  and  placed  it  on  the  coal  pail 
for  a  seat.  As  I  sat  there  the  thought  came  to  me,  “  When 
are  you  going  to  get  religion?”  This  was  followed  by 
another,  “  Wouldn’t  it  be  strange  if  I  went  to  the 
mourner’s  bench  to-night?”  “  Not  for  five  years  yet,” 
my  heart  quickly  responded.  “  Not  until  I  am  twenty 
years  old.”  Being  a  bashful  boy  I  felt  terrified  at  the 
mere  thought  of  taking  such  a  step  before  that  crowd  of 
“  rowdies  ”  who  were  openly  scoffing.  “  But,”  my  mind 
said,  “  if  you  make  a  start  in  five  years  it  will  again  be 
now.”  It  seemed  plain  to  me  that  one  “  now  ”  would 
be  about  as  embarrassing  as  another.  “  Wouldn’t  it  be 
strange  if  I  just  went  forward  to-night  without  any  re¬ 
gard  to  my  feelings?  ”  was  a  question  that  kept  asserting 
itself.  My  mind  swayed  and  tipped  first  one  way  and 
then  the  other  until  finally  it  literally  fell  on  the  side  of 


LOSING  GOD 


ii 


a  decision.  “  It  is  to-night.”  To  me  this  seemed  deeper 
than  any  other  decision  I  had  ever  made, —  than  which 
no  firmer  decision  could  be  made.  Being  thoroughly 
aware  of  its  ethical  significance,  my  heart  involuntarily 
said,  “  You  see,  O  God,  what  I  have  done.”  Not  to 
have  regarded  myself  a  bound  person  from  that  time 
forth  would  have  meant  the  perjuring  of  my  deepest  soul. 
It  was  an  awe-inspiring  decision  at  a  time  when  God  was 
to  get  either  a  great  deal  more  or  a  great  deal  less  of  my 
life  as  the  days  went  by.  It  would  have  been  an  irrep¬ 
arable  loss  to  me  if  this  great  decision  had  not  been 
made  at  that  time.  Even  now,  I  thank  God  with  a  grow¬ 
ing  gratitude  for  helping  me  to  make  that  decision.  So 
far,  the  experience  was  perfectly  normal  for  a  Christian 
boy  in  the  adolescent  period, —  though  at  that  time  I  had 
never  known  a  Christian  boy.  This  experience  of  an 
unconditional  surrender  to  the  will  of  God  should  have 
brought  me  peace  and  strength;  but  it  did  not,  because 
I  utterly  discredited  my  previous  religious  life  as  being 
no  more  than  moral  development.  Real  religion,  in  my 
thinking,  would  not  begin  until  I  had  experienced  the 
miracle  of  regeneration  at  the  “  mourner’s  bench.” 

The  die  had  been  cast.  And  now  the  great  miracle 
must  be  achieved!  So  I  went  forward.  The  knowl¬ 
edge  that  I  was  observed  by  mocking  eyes  hurt  like  the 
thongs  of  a  whip  on  a  bare  back.  For  a  few  moments 
I  could  think  of  nothing  else.  Then  I  tried  to  feel  sorry 
for  my  sins;  and  not  succeeding  in  that,  I  tried  to  feel 
sorry  because  I  was  not  sorry.  Those  kneeling  with  me  . 


12 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


asked  whether  I  believed  in  God.  No  one  could  have  be¬ 
lieved  it  more  fully  than  I  did.  Then  they  asked  me  if 
I  believed  that  He  sent  His  Son  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners.  This  I  believed  without  question.  Did  I  be¬ 
lieve  that  He  came  to  save  me,  and  that  He  wanted  to 
save  me  now  ?  This,  too,  I  believed.  “  Do  you  feel 
that  He  saves  you  now?”  I  did  not  know.  “Well,” 
they  said,  “  you  will  know  when  He  saves  you, —  so  you 
must  make  no  mistake  there.'’  And  thus  we  went  the 
rounds,  over  and  over  again.  While  I  believed  every¬ 
thing,  yet  I  did  not  experience  the  miracle.  Things 
seemed  to  grow  worse  and  more  confused  as  time  went 
by.  As  they  pleaded,  first  with  God  to  save  me,  and  then 
with  me  to  surrender  all  to  God  and  believe,  I  became 
utterly  bewildered  and  hardened.  There  seemed  to  be 
no  reality  in  anything.  The  groans  and  sighs,  the  pres¬ 
sure  of  the  hand,  the  pats  on  the  back,  the  rhythmic  music, 
the  loud  and  fervent  prayers,  became  a  meaningless  jar¬ 
gon.  I  was  heartily  glad  when  the  hour  was  over  so 
that  I  could  be  alone.  Once  being  alone,  I  did  pray 
earnestly  and  continuously  for  God  to  save  me,  and  felt 
a  great  depression  of  spirits  without  further  results. 
The  next  night  I  repeated  the  experience  of  the  previous 
evening  with  like  sad  consequences.  The  next  day  I  was 
greatly  depressed,  but  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would 
get  religion  or  break  a  blood  vessel  in  the  attempt ;  — 
and  I  nearly  broke  the  blood  vessel.  In  the  afternoon 
while  carrying  a  heavy  load  of  corn  on  my  back,  I 
stumbled  over  something  which  caused  me  to  say  “  Oh !  ” 


LOSING  GOD 


!3 


and  as  I  added  the  word  God,  it  sounded  like  profanity. 
But  it  was  not,  for  prayer  had  become  automatic.  This 
incident  caused  me  to  smile, —  the  first  time,  I  believe, 
in  two  days.  As  I  continued  to  pray  without  ceasing, 
there  came  to  me  after  awhile  a  little  suggestion  of  glad¬ 
ness  which  caused  me  to  exclaim,  “  Oh,  I  believe  I  am 
getting  religion !  ”  Though  the  burden  seemed  to  be 
lifting,  yet  it  was  some  minutes  before  another  teeling 
of  gladness  came.  During  the  supper  hour  it  seemed 
almost  certain  that  I  was  getting  religion.  Nothing, 
however,  was  said  about  it  as  I  wanted  to  be  perfectly 
sure. 

After  supper  I  started  for  the  schoolhouse  across  the 
dark  fields.  During  that  journey  of  over  a  mile,  the 
psychic  lights  came  on  making  all  things  beautiful.  At 
the  same  time  I  was  made  inexpressibly  glad.  The  great 
change  .  appeared  to  be  in  the  universe  rather  than  in 
myself.  I  laughed  and  cried  for  joy.  Recalling  the 
Psalm,  “  For  ...  by  my  God  have  I  leaped  over  a  wall,” 
that,  I  thought,  would  be  an  easy  thing  to  do  if  a  wall 
were  there.  What  with  laughing,  making  speeches,  and 
thanking  God,  I  soon  completed  the  journey. 

As  the  schoolhouse  was  seated  to  face  the  door,  on 
arriving  late,  I  confronted  the  whole  congregation.  This 
arrangement  of  seats  made  it  unnecessary  for  the  people 
to  turn  and  strain  their  necks  to  see  each  one  who  entered. 

In  pioneer  days  it  was  customary  to  take  a  candle  with 
you  to  church.  On  arriving  at  the  schoolhouse  you 
would  take  your  penknife,  push  the  small  blade  through 


14 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


the  candle,  stick  the  protruding  blade  into  the  window 
sash,  and  there  you  were,  as  nice  as  could  be.  Or  else 
you  would  stand  the  candle  on  the  desk  in  some  melted 
tallow. 

Though  the  schoolhouse  was  but  dimly  lighted,  and 
the  people  whom  I  faced  that  night  were  an  ordinary 
crowd,  yet  in  my  psychic  state  I  saw  the  people  as  angel 
figures  under  limelight.  And  as  the  only  vacant  seats 
were  in  the  “  Amen  corner,”  I  sat  facing  the  congregation 
during  the  entire  service.  The  sermon  was  wonderful 
to  me  beyond  words  to  express;  and  yet  I  seemed  able 
to  understand  it  and  to  see  all  around  it. 

After  the  sermon  an  invitation  was  given  to 
“  mourners.”  As  none  went  forward,  the  minister  then 
came  to  me  to  inquire  of  my  condition.  When  with 
great  joy  I  told  him  that  I  was  converted,  I  was  asked 
to  relate  my  experience.  This  unexpected  request  shat¬ 
tered  my  beautiful  world  as  completely  as  a  hammer 
stroke  would  have  shattered  a  piece  of  crystal.  Such  a 
stage  fright  seized  me  that  I  could  neither  move  nor 
speak  before  they  were  compelled  to  go  on  with  the  serv¬ 
ice.  This  embarrassing  experience  sent  me  from  the 
highest  state  of  bliss  to  the  deepest  state  of  gloom. 
Peter’s  denial  seemed  trivial  in  comparison  with  mine; 
he  had  denied  the  Lord  under  trying  circumstances,  but 
I  had  denied  Him  while  sitting  in  glory. 

A  little  later,  when  the  minister  rose  and  stated  that 
they  would  “  open  the  doors  of  the  Church  ”  for  any 
who  desired  to  join,  there  ensued  a  terrible  struggle 


LOSING  GOD 


15 


within  me.  During  the  few  minutes  of  exhortation  that 
followed  I  seriously  questioned  my  heart.  I  knew  that 
candidates  were  expected  to  answer  the  question,  “  Have 
you  found  God  in  the  pardon  of  your  sins,  and  do  you  now 
have  peace  with  God?  ”  But  being  in  a  state  of  torment, 
how  could  I  claim  peace  with  God?  Though  my  con¬ 
version  still  seemed  like  a  miracle,  yet  never  before  had 
I  been  in  such  a  humiliated  or  distressed  state  of  mind. 
Before  ever  I  tried  to  “  get  religion,”  I  had  plighted  my 
soul  and  honor  that  I  would  follow  God  from  that  time 
forward.  Even  now  I  knew  that  I  should  follow  Him, 
but  how  could  I  say  that  I  had  peace  with  God  when  my 
burden  remained  in  spite  of  my  earnest  prayer  to  be 
forgiven?  Had  I  in  that  act  of  denial  become  a  “  back¬ 
slider,”  and  was  it  necessary  for  me  to  be  converted 
again?  As  a  large  percentage  of  the  Christians  pres¬ 
ent  had  been  converted  two  or  more  times  to  my  knowl¬ 
edge,  a  second  conversion  was  not  strange  to  me.  Never 
doubting  that  I  had  been  converted,  and  knowing  why  I 
was  in  despair,  and  believing  that  my  suffering  was 
wholly  deserved,  I  dismissed  the  thought  of  a  second  con¬ 
version.  “  How  can  a  person  know  beforehand,”  I  rea¬ 
soned,  “  that  he  will  feel  at  peace  with  God  at  the  moment 
the  question  is  asked?”  By  “now”  do  they  not  mean 
something  more  general;  to-night,  for  example?  Decid¬ 
ing  that  there  must  be  some  latitude  to  the  word  “  now  ” 
and  that  God  would  understand  my  honesty  of  purpose,  I 
went  forward  and  united  with  the  Church.  As  I  look  back 
upon  it,  it  still  seems  a  most  wise  decision. 


i6 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Though  fully  expecting  to  be  happy  again  after  join¬ 
ing  the  Church,  yet  my  misery  only  increased.  This  wcus 
inevitable.  I  had  identified  religion  with  an  abnormal 
psychic  state.  And  such  a  state  would  not  return  with¬ 
out  another  terrific  effort. 

The  next  night,  with  an  embarrassment  that  caused 
my  cheeks  to  burn  like  fire,  I  rose  before  the  scoffers  and 
told  them  that  God  had  converted  me.  Again  I  expected 
to  feel  happy.  But,  naturally,  my  sorrow  only  deepened 
as  the  abnormal  state  did  not  return.  For  the  next  two 
weeks  I  tried  with  all  my  original  earnestness  to  get  back 
my  happiness  ;  but  without  success.  One  day  while  in  a 
valley  far  from  any  human  being,  where  the  woods 
covered  the  hill  before  me,  I  was  looking  up  into  the  sky 
and  still  pleading  with  God  to  restore  my  happy  state  of 
mind.  Then  the  thought  occurred  to  me,  “  Where  is 
God?”  At  that  time  I  was  so  ignorant  of  the  universe 
that  I  thought  the  earth  had  a  ceiling,  and  that  the  ceiling 
of  the  earth  was  the  floor  of  heaven.  It  seemed  to  be 
about  three  rifle  shots  away.  I  thought  that  if  one  could 
get  through  the  ceiling  of  the  earth  he  would  be  in  heaven, 
and  there  would  be  God.  As  I  stood  there  gazing  into 
the  sky  my  mind  said,  “  Why  does  God  not  show  Him¬ 
self?”  That  He  could  part  the  clouds  and  show  His 
face  seemed  the  most  natural  and  reasonable  thing  in  the 
world.  Why,  then,  did  He  not  do  so  ?  Since  He  neither 
blesses  me  in  answer  to  my  prayers,  nor  shows  Himself, 
possibly  He  does  not  exist.  My  wonderful  experience 


LOSING  GOD 


i7 

may  have  been  nothing  but  a  highly  wrought  state  of 
feelings. 

I  then  recalled  that  ministers  based  their  belief  in  the 
existence  of  God  on  certain  arguments.  But  suddenly 
this  seemed  the  strangest  procedure  imaginable.  Why 
had  God  left  us  to  argue  and  reason  about  His  existence? 
Should  He  not  settle  so  great  a  question  beyond  all  argu¬ 
ment?  How  strange  it  would  be  if  my  earthly  father 
should  stay  away  from  us  until  we  did  not  know  whether 
he  was  dead  or  alive!  We  had  the  satisfaction  of  loving 
and  obeying  our  father  without  ever  a  chance  to  doubt 
his  existence.  If  our  Heavenly  Father  would  make  me 
equally  certain  of  His  existence  I  should  follow  Him 
through  flood  and  fire.  “  Then  why  does  God  not  show 
Himself?”  “Isn’t  it  strange  that  He  has  hidden  for¬ 
ever  and  forever!” 

Here  I  remembered  the  Scripture  which  says,  “No 
man  can  see  God  and  live.”  But  my  heart  quickly  re¬ 
sponded,  “  It  is  one  thing  to  come  near  enough  to  kill 
us,  and  quite  another  to  come  near  enough  to  convince  us. 
Oh,  isn’t  it  strange  that  He  hides  forever?  ” 

Then  I  thought  of  Jesus.  But  my  heart  replied, 
“  Maybe  Jesus  was  mistaken.”  If  He  had  a  rapturous 
feeling  like  mine,  and  was  able  to  sustain  it,  He  would 
continue  to  believe  in  God  even  if  He  did  not  exist. 
Nothing  short  of  God’s  personal  appearance,  it  seemed  to 
me,  could  settle  the  question.  “  Then  why  does  God  not 
show  Himself?  There  is  no  sense  in  hiding;  and  if  no 


i8 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


sense  in  it,  then  it  is  wrong;  and  if  wrong,  then  there  is 
no  God.  Because  God,  if  He  exists,  must  be  good  and 
sensible.” 

Therefore,  when  my  reasoning  led  me  to  say,  “  There 
can't  be  a  God,”  I  found  that  unbelief  had  entered  the 
marrow  of  my  being.  I  felt  that  God  could  not  possibly 
do  such  a  foolish  and  wicked  thing  as  to  hide  from  His 
children. 

Having  reached  this  conclusion,  I  felt  alarmed  at  my 
wicked  thoughts.  They  were  not,  however,  to  be  driven 
away.  From  that  day  forward  the  sky  became  more 
gray,  and  cold,  and  Godless.  An  awful  crisis  had  come 
into  my  life.  It  seemed  an  irreparable  loss  if  there  were 
no  God.  My  life,  also,  would  go  out  in  eternal  night. 
If  there  was  a  God,  and  I  gave  up  faith,  then  I  should 
go  to  an  endless  hell  of  inexpressible  torment.  There 
was  no  comfort  in  either  alternative.  The  problem  was 
no  longer  the  problem  of  the  Church;  it  was  my  personal 
problem.  And  the  battle  had  to  be  fought  to  a  decisive 
issue.  Being  impaled  on  the  two  horns  of  the  dilemma, 
I  found  it  increasingly  difficult  to  reproduce  the  exalted 
state  of  feeling  on  which  I  still  relied  for  assurance. 

Never  having  met  a  college  graduate,  of  course  I  had 
not  heard  one  preach.  It  was  in  the  college  chapel,  four 
years  later,  that  I  first  listened  to  a  sermon  by  a  college 
man.  My  impression  was  that  he  made  neither  noise  nor 
light.  That  he  made  but  little  noise  I  knew.  But  I  am 
now  willing  to  admit  that  he  may  have  shed  more  light 
than  I  saw.  Preaching  often  fails  to  make  any  connec- 


LOSING  GOD 


19 

tion  with  the  fundamental  ideas  and  difficulties  of  doubt¬ 
ing  minds. 

In  my  new  state  of  doubt,  the  first  impulse  was  to 
confide  in  my  father  and  Christian  friends.  But  then  I 
realized  that  I  knew  all  the  stock  phrases,  and  that  none 
of  them  met  my  case.  If  confronted  with  the  old 
phrases  would  I  not  argue,  and  might  I  not  confirm  my¬ 
self  in  a  possible  error  ?  Was  it  not  safer  to  fight  it  out 
with  God,  if  He  existed,  than  to  argue  with  those  who 
could  not  feel  what  I  had  felt?  The  insistence  of  these 
questions  caused  me  to  keep  my  secret  wholly  to  myself, 
and  to  go  on  with  the  struggle.  Twenty-two  years  later 
during  the  last  visit  with  my  father,  as  we  rode  together 
over  the  hills,  I  told  him  this  story.  With  a  look  of 
tenderness  I  shall  never  forget,  he  replied,  “  I  believe  the 
story  because  you  tell  me,  but  I  am  glad  you  did  not  tell 
me  at  the  time.  I  could  not  have  helped  you.”  Said 
he,  “  I  do  not  recall  ever  in  my  life  doubting  the  inspira¬ 
tion  of  the  Scriptures,  or  the  existence  of  God.  I  have 
often  doubted  my  worthiness  and  acceptance,  but  nothing 
more.”  Still  believing  that  I  did  the  wise  thing  under 
the  circumstances,  I  was  glad  to  have  his  approval.  If 
an  honest  doubter  asks  for  bread,  he  is  not  infrequently 
given  a  stone  by  well-meaning  Christians, —  and  neither 
can  understand  the  other. 

As  this  is  a  case  study ,  it  should  be  said  that  my  first 
mistake  was  in  discrediting  my  early  religious  experience. 
My  second  mistake  was  in  identifying  religion  with  an 
extreme  psychic  state.  And  when  my  psychic  state  failed 


20 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


me,  then  my  utterly  false  images  of  God  and  the  universe 
completed  the  destruction  of  my  faith.  If  I  could  have 
reproduced  the  psychic  state  readily,  my  false  images  of 
God  and  the  universe  would  not  have  troubled  me  for 
many  years. 

The  ministers  who  created  these  false  impressions  in 
my  mind  were  not  deserving  of  censure,  because  they  did 
not  understand  the  forces  with  which  they  were  dealing 
—  and  the  community  was  in  great  need  of  something. 
Even  for  me,  it  was  best  that  I  did  what  we  thought  was 
right  regardless  of  what  followed. 

Having  entered  upon  the  vigorous  adolescent  period, 
I  greatly  needed  to  take  my  stand  as  an  adult  Christian. 
I  needed  to  realize  such  a  new  influence  as  a  thorough 
commitment  of  myself  would  bring.  This,  however,  no 
one  in  the  community  understood. 

We  now  know  that  one  may  be  genuinely  converted 
and  hypnotized  at  the  same  time.  That  is,  he  may 
enter  God’s  service  with  the  noblest  spirit  of  loyalty, 
and  at  the  same  time  submit  himself  to  a  process  that 
will  induce  the  hypnotic  state.  Likewise,  it  is  possible  for 
one  to  be  hypnotized  under  religious  influences  without 
being  converted.  This  is  the  case  with  those  who  wish 
religion  only  if  it  will  give  them  more  pleasure  than  their 
sins.  Though  they  may  not  deeply  analyze  it,  yet  their 
conversion  is  an  experiment  to  see  which  they  like  the 
better;  and  when  their  hypnotic  happiness  leaves  them, 
they  return  to  their  greater  pleasure  in  sin.  Or,  when 
the  idea  and  method  are  rational,  one  may  be  converted 


LOSING  GOD 


21 


without  being  hypnotized.  In  this  case  a  complete  dedi¬ 
cation  of  self  to  the  will  of  God  is  trusted  to  bring  its 
own  rich  reward  in  noble  enthusiasm  and  fine  apprecia¬ 
tion. 

Since  I  had  always  been  a  Christian,  it  was  not  con¬ 
version  that  I  needed,  but  a  deeper  commitment  of  my¬ 
self  to  the  will  and  work  of  God.  And  as  I  have  already 
explained,  this  I  did  before  trying  to  “  get  religion.’’ 
The  moral  will  is  the  spiritual  spine.  If  it  stands  erect 
in  its  duties  toward  God  and  men,  the  whole  spiritual 
life  will  come  into  normal  feeling  and  action.  My  un¬ 
conditional  submission  to  the  will  of  God  was  normal, 
beautiful,  and  necessary.  But  the  experience  which  came 
two  days  later  should  be  characterized  as  a  super-normal 
psychic  state ,  self -induced.  While  the  psychic  state  lasted 
my  true  religious  feelings  cooperated  vigorously;  but 
when  it  subsided,  as  it  was  bound  to  do,  my  true  religious 
emotions  likewise  disappeared.  For  years,  all  references 
to  spirituality  were  understood  by  me  to  mean  an  excit¬ 
ing,  nervous  thrill ;  such  a  thrill  as  I  had  once  felt.  This 
led  me  to  study  the  feelings,  a  few  years  later,  to  see  if  I 
could  determine  their  value.  I  found  that  I  was  able 
to  hypnotize  a  man  so  that  he  thought  he  saw  God;  and 
then  I  could  cause  him  to  fall  down  in  adoration  before 
his  imaginary  deity.  Or,  by  taking  ether,  I  could  re¬ 
produce  the  glory  world  of  my  own  so-called  conversion. 
Feelings  alone  are  not  to  be  trusted,  for  the  objects  which 
they  often  create  do  not  exist.  On  the  other  hand,  real 
objects,  valid  and  knowable,  produce  appropriate  feelings 


22 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


when  we  are  rightly  related  to  them.  Never  have  I  been 
in  such  a  state  of  pain  or  dejection  but  that  I  knew  that 
I  loved  my  children  if  my  attention  was  called  to  it.  I 
still  demand,  therefore,  an  objective,  knowable  God  be¬ 
fore  I  can  love  Him. 

While  greatly  deploring  such  religious  exercises  as  are 
calculated  to  produce  extreme  psychic  states,  yet  I  bring 
an  indictment  against  the  average  Church  of  this  genera¬ 
tion  because  its  religious  feelings  are  sub-normal.  The 
latter  condition  is  probably  as  dangerous  as  the  former. 
Even  our  physical  temperature  must  be  allowed  to  run 
neither  too  high  nor  too  low.  If  in  everything  but  re¬ 
ligion  we  feel  warmth  and  enthusiasm,  we  reveal  a  de¬ 
plorable  religious  condition.  For  if  one  intelligently  and 
fully  commits  himself  to  the  will  and  service  of  God, 
appropriate  feelings  will  come  to  him  as  surely  as  color 
comes  to  ripening  fruit. 

When  prayer  availed  me  nothing  in  bringing  back  the 
spirit  of  God  —  as  I  conceived  of  it  —  I  first  questioned 
my  own  heart.  And  when  it  no  longer  condemned  me, 
I  then  questioned  God.  As  I  understood  it,  to  produce 
a  rapturous  feeling  was  God’s  part.  My  part  was  to 
believe  and  obey.  If  only  the  hand  of  faith  could  suc¬ 
ceed  in  laying  hold  of  God  the  spiritual  current  would 
come  on  with  a  thrill.  A  great  deal  of  this  sensational 
religion  still  exists.  It  is  to  be  found  in  all  our  great 
cities  as  well  as  in  rural  communities. 

Let  two  errors  like  false  experiences  and  false  images 
of  God  unite  and  they  will  bring  forth  a  whole  brood 


LOSING  GOD 


23 


of  errors.  So  far  as  I  am  able  to  analyze,  I  always  had 
a  perfect  sense  of  God’s  character.  If  He  existed  at 
all,  He  was  infinitely  great  and  wise  and  good.  But  these 
characteristics  simply  meant  the  quality  of  God  and  not 
God  Himself.  Character  without  being  was  like  a  smile 
without  a  face.  It  was  this  God  behind  the  character  that 
I  utterly  misapprehended.  My  false  picture  of  God’s 
being,  of  the  universe,  and  the  relation  between  the  two 
was  the  cause  of  my  religious  vexation.  If  we  add  to 
these  the  fickleness  of  a  sensational  experience  —  labeled, 
true  spiritual  religion  —  we  may  begin  to  understand  my 
religious  undoing. 

I  dare  say  that  the  subject  of  extreme  religious  ex¬ 
perience  will  not  trouble  many  of  my  readers,  but  half 
the  population  is  vexed  by  false  images  of  God  and  the 
universe.  These  false  images  are  so  prevalent  that  one 
trembles  for  the  future  of  religion  in  a  scientific  age. 
As  to  certain  aspects  of  God’s  existence,  the  confusion  is 
becoming  greater  every  day, —  and  there  are  good  reasons 
for  it.  Since  the  masses  are  coming  to  have  a  fairly 
accurate  conception  of  the  main  outlines  of  the  universe, 
their  false  images  of  God’s  being  are  faring  badly  in 
this  new  world.  Many  are  casting  out  their  unsatisfac¬ 
tory  image  of  God  without  anything  to  take  its  place. 
Some  claim  that  we  are  much  better  off  to  think  of  God’s 
character  without  trying  to  form  any  conception  of  His 
being.  Generally,  however,  when  His  image  goes  God 
goes  with  it.  Those  who  have  been  steeped  in  religion 
from  their  youth,  may  continue  to  worship  God  after  He 


24 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


has  almost  disappeared;  but  succeeding  generations  will 
have  little  interest  in  such  an  evasive  God.  They  will 
wish  to  know  that  God  is  before  they  attribute  character 
to  Him. 

The  various  psychic  cults  are  trying  to  find  a  more 
satisfying  idea  of  God;  but  they  are  simply  making  a 
bad  matter  worse.  Over  against  this,  however,  is  the 
popular  phrase  of  the  day,  “  No  one  can  possibly  conceive 
of  what  God  is  like !  So  do  not  advertise  your  ignorance 
by  trying.”  This,  probably,  is  the  saddest  of  all. 

The  religious  dynamo  is  in  the  heart,  or  moral  feelings, 
while  the  circuit  is  in  the  head,  or  formal  ideas.  If  the 
circuit  is  broken  the  light  goes  out.  As  long  as  one’s  ideas 
are  not  discredited  by  himself,  he  may  get  some  light  with 
a  very  poor  circuit.  But  once  let  him  thoroughly  dis¬ 
credit  his  own  mental  images,  and  the  light  will  cease  to 
shine. 

The  dynamo  may  be  run  long  after  the  circuit  is  broken, 
and  the  light  has  gone  out.  I  ran  mine  for  many  years. 
The  minister’s  wife  previously  referred  to  was  doing  the 
same  thing.  Many  students  reported  to  Professor  Leuba 
that  they  continued  to  pray,  through  habit  or  sentiment, 
but  that  God  had  so  faded  from  their  minds  that  prayer 
no  longer  meant  anything  to  them.  Many  learned  scien¬ 
tists  revealed  the  “  broken  circuit  ”  of  their  thoughts  by 
giving  their  crude  conceptions  or  no  conceptions  of  God. 
These  men  have  long  since  ceased  to  run  their  religious 
dynamo. 

If  the  lights  refuse  to  come  on,  after  a  while  one  grows 


LOSING  GOD 


25 


tired  of  stoking  the  furnace  merely  to  keep  the  dynamo 
running.  Therefore,  in  the  succeeding  chapters  my  aim 
will  be  to  show  how  I  mended  my  circuit. 

After  continuing  my  fruitless  struggle  for  two  years 
I  became  desperate.  For  one  thing,  I  had  no  religious 
young  people  with  whom  to  associate.  When  not  alone, 
I  worked  with  vile  men  who  never  allowed  much  time 
to  elapse  without  indulging  in  obscene  conversation. 
Living  in  a  community  where  we  had  never  seen  a  rail¬ 
road,  or  a  piano,  or  an  organ,  I  found  little  to  entertain 
or  comfort  me.  And  my  religion  added  greatly  to  my 
burden.  There  was  just  work  and  privations  and  fruit¬ 
less  prayers.  So  it  is  not  strange  that  at  the  end  of  two 
years  I  wished  that  I  might  die.  This  feeling  came  to 
me  with  such  force  one  day,  when  I  was  working  in  a 
distant,  lonely  place,  that  I  gave  audible  expression  to  the 
wish.  Not  that  I  wanted  to  die  on  that  particular  day! 
I  have  never  seen  the  time  when  I  wanted  to  die  to-day. 
But  hoping  that  I  might  die  in  ten  years,  I  resolved  anew 
that  I  would  just  stiffen  my  neck,  and  grit  my  teeth,  and 
pray  on  until  the  end  came  —  which  I  hoped  would  not 
be  too  distant.  During  these  two  years  I  was  very  faith¬ 
ful  to  every  known  Christian  duty.  Once  I  even  tried 
to  pray  in  prayer  meeting,  but  broke  down  with  fright 
in  the  middle  of  the  first  sentence.  I  regularly  bore  testi¬ 
mony,  however,  to  my  determination  to  go  forward  in  the 
Christian  life. 

Soon  after  the  time  of  my  deep  depression  it  was  an¬ 
nounced  that  a  series  of  revival  meetings  was  to  be  held 


26 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


in  the  community.  An  uneducated  old  minister,  rather 
feeble  in  body,  was  to  conduct  the  meetings.  As  there 
were  but  few  Christians  to  help  him,  it  looked  like  a  great 
undertaking.  This  question  rose  in  my  mind,  “  Would 
it  be  wrong  for  me  to  take  an  active  part  in  persuading 
others  to  become  Christians  while  I  myself  am  in  doubt 
of  God’s  existence?’'  I  had  not  then  heard  of  people 
doing  Church  work  to  gain  social  standing.  And  if  I 
had,  it  could  not  have  been  a  motive  because  socially  I 
already  belonged  to  the  “  four  hundred.”  Some  men 
were  reported  to  have  joined  the  Church  to  beat  a  neigh¬ 
bor  in  a  horse  trade  or  an  ox  trade  —  and  this  I  knew 
to  be  very  wicked.  But  as  I  had  neither  horses  nor  oxen 
to  trade  there  were  but  two  motives  that  compelled  me  to 
go  forward.  The  first  motive  was  the  hope  that  in  this 
way  I  might  find  God.  The  second  was  that  I  might  help 
someone  else  to  be  religious, —  since  other  people  ap¬ 
peared  to  have  more  faith.  I  decided  that  the  proposed 
course  was  justifiable  because  if  God  did  not  exist  it 
could  make  but  little  difference,  and  if  He  did  it  was  very 
important  that  people  should  be  brought  to  Him.  Con¬ 
sequently,  I  selected  a  young  man  of  my  own  age.  He 
was  on  his  way  to  the  schoolhouse  with  a  band  of  hilari¬ 
ous  young  people  when  I  called  him  aside.  We  were 
very  late  in  reaching  the  services  because  out  in  the  dark 
I  labored  long  and  hard  with  my  friend  and  used  every 
art  of  persuasion  that  I  could  command  before  I  brought 
him  to  a  decision.  Finally,  however,  he  promised  to  go 
to  the  “  mourner’s  bench  ”  if  I  would  go  with  him.  Then 


LOSING  GOD 


27 


we  entered  the  schoolhouse,  and  each  one  kept  his  prom¬ 
ise.  My  friend  became  so  desperately  wrought  up  at  the 
altar  that  his  parents,  who  were  not  Christians,  did  not 
know  what  to  do  with  him  when  the  services  were  over. 
They  therefore  asked  me  to  take  him  home  with  me  for 
the  night.  My  friend  continued  to  weep  all  the  way 
home,  and  frequently  requested  that  we  stop  to  pray. 
That  journey  of  a  mile  and  a  quarter  across  the  fields  I 
shall  never  forget.  But  before  we  went  to  sleep,  suddenly 
clasping  my  hand,  he  exclaimed,  “  Oh,  I  am  converted.” 
Knowing  how  he  felt  I  was  very  glad  for  him,  but  at  the 
same  time  my  heart  cried  within  me,  “  I  do  wonder  if 
there  is  anything  in  it!  It  is  wonderful  to  him  now,  I 
know,  but  how  will  he  feel  to-morrow,  or  next  week,  or 
in  six  months?  ” 

However,  I  next  persuaded  his  parents  to  go  forward, 
and  the  minister  asked  me  to  pray  for  them  at  the  altar  — 
which  I  did.  They,  too,  were  converted,  but  no  bless¬ 
ing  came  to  me.  During  the  two  weeks,  I  led  eleven 
people  to  the  altar,  and  was  asked  by  the  minister  each 
night  to  offer  prayer  for  the  seekers. 

On  the  last  night  of  the  series,  near  the  close,  the  min¬ 
ister  said : 

“  Now  there  is  a  little  business  to  be  attended  to,  and 
will  Brother  Richard  Swain  please  withdraw  from  the 
room?  ”  I  was  so  surprised  and  excited  that  I  arose  and 
went  out  into  a  temperature  below  zero  without  either 
overcoat  or  hat.  Leaving  the  reader  to  judge  of  my 
ethics  and  manners,  I  will  confess  that  I  put  my  ear  up 


28 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


to  the  wall  and  listened  with  all  my  might.  The  minis¬ 
ter  said : 

“  Some  of  us  have  been  considering  the  matter,  and 
we  are  convinced  that  Brother  Richard  Swain  has  a  de¬ 
cided  call  to  the  ministry.  We  want  you,  therefore,  if 
you  think  it  is  wise,  to  recommend  him  to  the  conference 
for  license  to  preach.” 

This  was  such  a  shock  to  me  that  a  little  cry  went  up 
from  my  heart, — “  And  I  don’t  even  know  that  there  is  a 
God !  ” 

As  there  was  no  dissenting  vote  the  minister  said, 
“  You  may  now  call  him  in.”  If  only  my  coat  and  hat 
had  been  with  me  I  should  not  have  been  present  when 
the  door  opened.  However,  with  the  temperature  below 
zero,  and  neither  overcoat  nor  hat,  even  a  young  candi¬ 
date  for  the  ministry  could  not  refuse  to  enter.  But 
it  would  have  been  more  to  his  comfort  if  the  congrega¬ 
tion  had  not  been  seated  to  face  the  door. 

Through  this  vote  of  the  Church  I  was  compelled  to 
grapple  with  a  new  question  of  ethics.  Would  it  be 
right  for  me  under  the  circumstances  to  appear  for  ex¬ 
amination  ?  I  had  not  asked  for  license  to  preach.  The 
matter  had  been  thrust  upon  me  without  my  knowledge 
and  consent.  How  could  I  know  but  this  was  the  road 
over  which  I  was  being  led  to  the  light?  Besides,  eleven 
people  had  responded  to  my  appeal.  Would  I  care  to  be 
a  minister?  It  seemed  to  me  that  there  was  nothing  in 
the  world  I  should  so  much  like  to  be  as  a  minister  if 
only  I  could  know  there  was  a  God.  This  feeling  de- 


LOSING  GOD 


29 

cided  me  to  accept  the  invitation  and  appear  for  examina¬ 
tion. 

While  my  education  had  not  gone  beyond  that  of  the 
common  country  schools,  and  while  I  was  but  seventeen 
years  of  age,  yet  the  average  minister  of  the  community 
had  even  less  education.  Not  until  three  years  after  I 
was  licensed  to  preach  did  I  learn  that  there  was  such  an 
institution  in  the  world  as  a  Theological  Seminary. 
However,  in  those  pioneer  days  all  the  ministers,  mission¬ 
aries,  Irish  pack-peddlers,  and  horse  thieves  who  passed 
through  put  up  at  my  father’s  house  for  the  night  with¬ 
out  ever  being  charged  a  cent.  They  more  than  paid 
their  way,  though,  I  can  assure  you,  by  having  to  talk 
religion  and  theology  until  midnight  with  my  father 
who  was  a  born  theologian.  Though  my  father  was  not 
an  educated  man,  yet  he  had  picked  up  an  immense 
amount  of  knowledge  along  certain  lines,  and  always  en¬ 
joyed  a  friendly  debate  more  than  a  good  dinner.  At 
such  times,  from  early  childhood,  I  had  been  allowed  to 
sit  in  the  chimney  corner  and  listen  until  the  last  word 
was  said.  It  was  my  motion-picture  show.  And  no  child 
ever  had  more  pleasure  than  came  to  me  when  I  saw  that 
my  father  had  “  wound  up  ”  his  man  in  the  argument. 
Then,  with  the  greatest  cordiality,  my  father  would  show 
the  guest  to  bed.  As  there  was  but  one  great  room,  and 
beds  none  too  many,  I  usually  slept  with  the  guest.  And 
according  to  the  guest’s  report  in  the  morning,  I  had 
given  him  the  completest  kicking  he  ever  had  in  his  life. 

With  such  training,  and  in  such  a  community,  it  is  not 


30 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


strange  that  my  biblical  and  doctrinal  examination  was 
pronounced  entirely  satisfactory.  After  I  had  gone  to 
school  for  ten  years  it,  probably,  would  not  have  been  so 
satisfactory.  Indeed,  I  was  strongly  advised  not  to  go 
to  college,  as  it  was  likely  to  rob  me  of  my  spirituality; 
and  besides,  many  souls  would  be  lost  while  I  was  getting 
an  education. 

Though  I  continued  for  a  time  on  the  farm  or  in  the 
coal  mines,  yet  I  was  told  to  go  out  and  preach  some¬ 
where  on  Sundays.  Accordingly,  I  would  ride  ten  or 
twenty  miles  on  Sunday  to  preach  in  different  school- 
houses.  Putting  the  rein  over  the  horn  of  the  saddle,  I 
would  plead  before  the  cold  gray  sky  for  an  unknown 
God  to  renew  my  happy  feelings  as  a  token  of  His  ex¬ 
istence.  But  no  happiness,  or  assurance,  came  to  me. 
When  the  time  came  to  preach,  I  felt  the  importance  of 
not  throwing  our  lives  away  in  sinful  living,  and  so  was 
able  to  give  them  some  very  earnest  advice.  Then  on 
the  return  trip  I  would  continue  to  pray  to  an  unsym¬ 
pathetic  sky.  Nothing,  however,  ever  came  of  it  except 
a  deeper  depression  of  spirits.  Though  the  dynamo  was 
running  at  a  terrific  rate,  yet  the  circuit  of  my  thoughts 
was  broken  beyond  my  ability  to  repair.  So  I  decided  to 
go  to  college  at  any  sacrifice. 

Boarding  a  train  for  the  first  time,  I  went  two  hun¬ 
dred  miles  for  my  preparatory  course  in  connection  with 
the  college  where  I  expected  to  graduate.  But  no  re¬ 
ligious  experience  came  to  me  until  the  middle  of  my 
sophomore  year.  Then  while  studying  Mark  HopkinsJ 


LOSING  GOD 


3i 


little  book,  “  The  Law  of  Love,  and  Love  as  a  Law,”  I 
got  a  new  insight  into  the  human  soul.  I  could  see  that 
if  one  would  bring  all  his  powers  into  harmony,  and  then 
relate  them  to  the  beautiful  enfolding  universe,  all  things 
must  work  together  for  his  good, —  if  by  his  good  one 
meant  the  perfect  unfolding  of  his  life.  Instantly  there 
came  a  great  joy  in  living.  It  took  shape  in  the  thought, 
“  All  things  work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love 
God.”  I  felt  that  no  proposition  in  geometry  was  more 
capable  of  proof.  A  life  with  its  powers  united  in  the 
will  of  God  must  unfold  to  match  the  harmony  without, 
even  as  the  rose  unfolds  to  the  light  and  warmth  of  the 
sun.  Besides,  I  now  had  entertainment  and  beautiful 
friends.  Almost  any  good  thing  seemed  possible. 

This,”  I  said,  “  must  be  what  intelligent  people  mean 
by  Christian  experience.”  The  only  remaining  question 
was  the  old  one,  “  Is  there  a  God  ?  ”  Is  God  “  The  All- 
ness  of  things  about  us?”  This,  however,  seemed  too 
pantheistic.  And  the  personal  God  still  evaded  me.  So 
I  decided  that  the  question  of  God  was  too  much  for  me, 
and  that  I  would  just  wait  until  I  should  meet  the  “  wise 
men  ”  who  knew.  In  the  meantime  I  would  assume  that 
there  was  a  God;  for  the  college  president  believed  that 
there  was,  and  prayed  to  Him  every  day  at  chapel. 

As  the  happy  unfolding  of  my  life  continued  I  tried 
to  commit  all  to  God  whose  will,  if  He  existed,  I  very 
well  knew.  At  any  rate  there  was  something  in  the  uni¬ 
verse  that  matched  my  need.  I  would  just  call  it  God 
until  I  met  the  “  wise  men  ”  in  further  courses  of  study 


32 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


which  by  this  time  I  had  fully  resolved  upon.  So  the 
last  two  and  a  half  years  of  my  college  course  were  very 
beautiful;  they  constantly  increased  my  joy  in  living. 
No  small  part  of  this  better  experience  was  due  to  the 
influence  of  the  Christian  gentleman  and  fascinating 
preacher  who  became  our  new  college  pastor. 

Here  it  becomes  necessary  to  relate  something  more 
delicate  than  anything  that  has  gone  before.  While  I 
was  in  college  my  younger  and  only  brother  passed 
through  a  great  moral  crisis.  As  I  dearly  loved  him  he 
was  much  in  my  mind.  During  my  senior  year  I 
dreamed  night  after  night  that  he  was  killed.  In  these 
dreams  I  was  always  with  my  two  older  sisters  hunting 
our  brother  in  the  woods.  Feeling  certain  that  we  should 
find  him  dead,  we  usually  came  upon  him  by  an  old  log 
cabin  where  he  lay  dead  and  mangled.  I  have  no  theories 
about  the  dreams,  but  the  impression  made  upon  my  mind 
was  so  deep  that  when  I  went  home,  after  graduating 
from  college,  I  felt  that  I  must  do  something  to  help 
him.  Accordingly  it  was  planned  that  I  should  spend 
three  or  four  days  with  him  in  the  harvest  field  where  he 
was  running  a  heading  machine.  There  I  hoped  we 
should  have  a  pleasant  time,  and  find  an  opportunity  to 
shed  some  light  on  the  deeper  meanings  of  life.  Then 
some  evening  we  would  have  a  quiet  little  talk  when  I 
might  persuade  him  to  be  a  Christian.  As  I  was  going 
a  long  distance  to  a  theological  school,  and  did  not  ex¬ 
pect  to  see  him  again  for  three  years,  I  hoped  to  ac¬ 
complish  my  purpose  during  the  week  at  my  disposal. 


LOSING  GOD 


33 


For  two  and  a  half  days  we  worked  together  with  many 
pleasant  little  chats.  It  then  being  Saturday  noon,  my 
father  wanted  me  to  drive  fourteen  miles  with  him  and 
preach  for  him  the  next  day.  I  could  return  Monday 
and  be  with  my  brother  one  or  two  days  before  the  long 
journey.  But  Saturday  afternoon  a  great  storm  arose, 
and  at  midnight  my  host  awakened  me  saying,  “  Your 
brother  is  killed  by  lightning.” 

Though  we  started  home  immediately,  the  mud  was  so 
deep  and  sticky  that  it  required  till  daylight  to  make  the 
journey.  There  had  been  a  cloudburst,  and  such  an 
electric  storm  as  is  seldom  seen.  From  midnight  till 
dawn  we  dragged  through  the  mud  under  an  indescribable 
electrical  display.  Forked  lightning  splitting  the  sky  in 
every  direction  made  the  whole  heavens  lurid  with  light, 
while  the  low  thunder  like  distant  artillery  scarcely  ceased 
to  roll.  No  pen  can  describe  that  journey.  Nature 
seemed  omnipotent  and  awe-inspiring.  At  first  my 
heart  was  dazed  and  dumb.  Then  it  cried,  “  Why  did 
God  kill  my  brother  at  this  little  nick  of  time  when  I  was 
hoping  to  bring  him  to  Christ?  Was  there  ever  any¬ 
thing  like  this?  Why  did  He  take  him?” 

Then  while  I  was  fixedly  watching  the  omnipotent  dis¬ 
play  before  me  my  mind  asked : 

“  Did  God  kill  him  or  did  the  great  and  terrible  ma¬ 
chine,  called  the  world,  kill  him?  What  is  the  world,  and 
what  is  God?  When  does  God  act,  and  when  does  the 
universe  act?  Would  they  not  be  squarely  in  each  other’s 
way  much  of  the  time?  The  world  I  know,  and  its  ac- 


34 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


tivities  I  behold,  but  where  is  God?  Does  He  have  an 
abode,  or  is  He  a  sort  of  spiritual  ether  that  pervades  the 
universe ?”  And  my  heart  responded,  “Oh,  you  have 
never  yet  settled  the  question  of  whether  there  is  a  God!  ” 
So  once  more  God  faded  into  a  dream,  or  a  guess,  while 
the  elements  continued  to  display  their  terrifying  power. 

At  daylight  I  stood  with  a  broken  heart  beside  my 
dead  brother,  believing  either  that  there  was  no  God,  or 
else  that  my  brother  had  gone  to  endless  torment.  A 
few  moments  later  I  saw  my  father  kneel  by  his  side,  and 
heard  him  say,  “  Oh,  my  son,  my  son,  would  to  God  I 
had  died  for  thee!  ” 

In  a  short  time  we  were  invited  to  breakfast,  and  my 
father  being  unable  to  speak  motioned  to  me  to  say  grace. 
However  I  managed  I  do  not  know,  but  out  of  a  chok¬ 
ing  throat  I  said  grace  to  as  empty  and  Godless  a  world  as 
any  human  being  ever  faced. 

Two  weeks  after  my  brother's  death  I  entered  the 
theological  seminary.  The  deep,  vast,  and  unshakable 
verities  from  which  I  could  not  escape  were  sorrow  and 
love.  All  else  was  chaos.  As  a  hungry  man  seeks  for 
food,  so  I  sought  for  light.  Much  of  the  theology  in 
the  books  which  I  read  irritated  me  so  that  I  could  scarcely 
eat  my  food  at  mealtimes.  Yet  it  was  important  that  I 
should  learn  the  history  of  human  thought.  All  of  my 
professors  I  truly  loved  and  respected,  but  the  attitude  of 
theological  schools  more  than  thirty  years  ago  was  not 
wholly  suited  to  the  needs  of  one  on  the  border  of  a 
“  new  world-awakening  ”  whose  faith  had  suffered  so 


LOSING  GOD 


35 


much  and  so  long.  The  theological  world  was  not  quite 
ready  to  give  the  help  that  it  now  gives  to  many  suffer¬ 
ing  minds. 

During  my  first  year  in  the  seminary  I  frequently 
dreamed  of  seeing  my  brother  in  torment.  Sometimes 
I  would  wake  trembling,  and  even  when  I  could  throw 
off  the  thought  and  go  to  sleep,  I  was  liable  to  repeat 
the  dream  in  some  new  form. 

Once  when  I  was  walking  with  one  of  the  professors, 
as  true  a  Christian  man  as  ever  I  knew,  I  told  him  of  the 
circumstances  of  my  brother’s  death.  He  asked  me  if 
my  parents  were  Christians.  I  told  him  that  they  were 
very  good  Christians.  Then  he  counseled  me  not  to  go 
off  into  any  heresies,  but  to  feel  comforted  concerning 
my  brother;  for  “  The  promises  were  to  the  parents  and 
to  their  children  unto  the  third  and  fourth  generation.” 

While  I  listened  to  this  in  silence,  yet  the  following 
thoughts  went  through  my  mind : 

“  Then  God  would  save  my  brother  who  had  not  im¬ 
proved  his  privileges,  while  He  would  consign  to  end¬ 
less  torment  our  poor  play-fellows  who  were  not  blessed 
with  the  good  influence  of  Christian  parents.” 

My  mind  instinctively  felt  what  I  had  discretion  not  to 
say :  “  I  should  despise  a  God  who  had  no  more  ethical 

sense  than  that.  God  should  be  harder  on  my  brother 
than  on  them.” 

Much  of  my  philosophy  and  theology  was  worked  out 
during  my  seminary  course;  but  there  were  gaps  that  I 
could  not  fill.  So  I  next  went  to  Yale  to  study  philoso- 


36 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


phy.  In  postgraduate  work,  through  the  guidance  of 
professors,  I  expected  to  find  the  “  wise  men  ”  for  whom 
I  had  waited  so  long.  However,  these  “  wise  men  ”  are 
not  readily  understood  in  a  few  weeks.  They  have  a 
poor  faculty  for  making  connection  with  all  the  ideas  thar 
still  linger  in  the  mind  of  callow  youth.  At  any  rate  it 
soon  dawned  upon  me  that  there  was  no  such  God  as 
I  was  looking  for  or  else  these  men  were  unable  to  give 
Him  to  me.  When  this  conviction  came  to  me  I  went  out 
from  a  recitation  one  night  into  the  dark  and  once  more 
fought  the  old  battle.  Standing  on  the  New  Haven 
Green  and  looking  up  into  the  pelting  sleet  I  said : 

“  Now  I  have  met  the  ‘  wise  men/  and  still  I  do  not 
know  whether  there  is  an  inspired  Bible,  or  a  heaven, 
or  a  God/’  But  I  exclaimed,  “  O  God,  if  you  are,  and 
if  I  should  ever  meet  you  anywhere  in  eternity,  I  would 
run  to  you  as  a  little  child  runs  to  a  father.  I  would 
tell  you  how  weak  and  sinful  and  ignorant  I  am,  and  I 
know  you  would  love  me.”  That  night  on  the  old  Green, 
while  in  the  dark  and  pelted  with  sleet,  I  went  out  onto 
the  last  crag  where  any  human  soul  can  go,  and  cried 
into  the  infinite  depths,  “  O  God,  if  you  are  there,  some 
day  I  shall  know  you  and  love  you.”  In  that  act  I  passed 
beyond  all  men  and  all  institutions,  and  took  my  stand 
with  the  final  reality,  whatever  it  might  be,  and  at  least 
I  was  free  and  not  afraid.  Though  thoroughly  agnostic 
still,  yet  I  could  quietly  work  and  wait. 

Returning  to  my  studies  and  resolving  to  appropriate 
whatever  I  could  understand,  I  was  surprised  to  find  how 


LOSING  GOD 


37 


much  of  the  teaching  ministered  to  my  needs.  Before 
long  I  came  to  see  that  God  did  not  have  a  central  nucleus, 
or  ghost  form  in  heaven;  neither  did  He  resemble  a  re¬ 
fined  substance  like  ether.  Spirit  was  something  quite 
different  from  what  I  had  supposed.  My  mind  was 
hitting  the  trail.  Then  I  understood  that  God  had  not 
revealed  Himself  to  the  world  according  to  my  demand, 
because  no  such  God  existed  in  heaven  or  earth.  So  one 
day  in  class  I  asked  a  professor,  who  is  now  dead,  if  he 
thought  we  should  see  God  in  heaven  as  we  see  men  and 
trees  here.  At  the  same  time  I  assured  him  that  I  did 
not.  His  answer  was,  “  I  think  your  position  would  be  a 
very  dangerous  doctrine  to  teach.”  But  my  own  con¬ 
viction  was  that  it  was  becoming  a  very  dangerous  doc¬ 
trine  not  to  teach.  Time  has  proved  that  I  was  right. 
Millions  of  people  are  suffering  to-day  from  false  images 
of  God  or  from  no  image  of  God.  Not  long  ago  when 
I  related  this  class  incident  to  a  Yale  man,  he  remarked, 

“  Well,  Professor  -  made  great  growth  before  he 

died.” 

My  categorical  answers  to  the  four  questions  at  the 
head  of  this  chapter  are :  When  we  have  rational  ideas 
of  God  and  the  universe  we  shall  see  that  He  is  leaving 
nothing  undone  to  reveal  Himself.  To  an  enlightened 
understanding  it  does  not  seem  possible  that  God  could 
reveal  Himself  so  that  no  one  could  doubt  His  existence. 
Though  the  existence  of  God  is  a  question  of  doubt  and 
discussion  with  many,  yet  we  may  achieve  deep  and  satis¬ 
fying  assurance  if  we  go  about  it  in  the  right  way.  I 


fXZZp**** 


3» 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


think  it  would  be  morally  wrong  for  God  to  leave  His 
children  in  doubt  of  His  existence  if  He  were  able  to 
reveal  Himself. 

This  chapter  is  largely  excavation.  We  have  dug  the 
hole  deep  so  that  we  may  commence  in  the  next  chapter 
to  lay  the  foundation  on  solid  bottom.  And  this  was 
necessary  if  our  proposed  structure  is  to  stand. 

Allow  me  this  closing  word.  When  I  began  to  get  on 
my  religious  feet  at  Yale,  I  unexpectedly  received  a  call 
to  a  college  pastorate.  And  though  the  usual  number  of 
sceptics  were  found  among  the  students,  yet  in  many  re¬ 
spects  they  were  the  most  savable  men  in  college.  Usu¬ 
ally,  if  you  could  hit  the  keys  of  their  souls  they  would 
ring  back  and  ring  true. 


CHAPTER  II 


HOW  SCIENCE  SAVES  RELIGION,  OR  MODERN  KNOWLEDGE 

AND  RELIGION 


What  is  God? 

Who  is  God? 

Where  is  God? 

What  does  God  do? 

If  the  ancients  made  their  gods,  how  do  we  know  that  we 
are  not  making  our  God? 

May  we  not  he  communing  with  a  mere  idea? 

MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION 

Christian  character,  the  Christian  college,  and  Chris¬ 
tian  civilization  have  been  very  important  factors  in  the 
discovery  and  development  of  modern  learning. 

Expecting  to  derive  much  benefit  from  the  sciences, 
Christian  people  with  fine  enthusiasm  strove  to  promote 
them.  Nevertheless,  there  came  a  time  when  the  allied 
sciences  threatened  to  turn  upon  and  destroy  the  religion 
that  had  so  carefully  nurtured  them.  When  the  scien¬ 
tific  imagery  of  the  Bible  began  to  clash  with  the  clearly 
ascertained  facts  of  science,  many  people  concluded  that 
science  and  religion  were  contradictory;  however,  the 
crude  conceptions  of  the  material  universe  found  in  the 
Bible  are  no  integral  part  of  religion. 

39 


40 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


That  religion  may  discard  its  wornout  clothes  for  new 
and  better  ones  has  not  been  an  easy  lesson  for  believers, 
or  unbelievers,  to  learn.  Thinking  that  religion  must 
stand  or  fall  with  the  scientific  accuracy  of  the  Bible, 
some  drew  back  from  modern  science  preferring  re¬ 
ligion;  others  clung  to  the  new  learning  forsaking  re¬ 
ligion.  For  a  time,  therefore,  it  was  inevitable  that  re¬ 
ligion  and  her  foster  daughter,  modern  science,  should 
not  be  on  the  best  of  terms;  because  the  daughter  could 
not  approve  of  the  mother’s  dress,  and  the  mother  thought 
the  daughter  utterly  lacking  in  becoming  reverence. 
However,  with  their  great  need  of  each  other,  let  us  be¬ 
lieve  that  they  are  now  settling  down  to  a  lasting  friend¬ 
ship  of  mutual  helpfulness. 

Unfortunately,  the  opinion  is  gaining  considerable 
credence  that  modern  Christians  are  believing  less  and 
less,  and  that  finally  they  will  cease  to  believe  in  religion 
altogether. 

But  this  is  the  very  opposite  of  the  truth,  for  they  are 
still  believing  the  old  religion,  though  in  a  vastly  bigger 
and  better  way.  For,  at  the  present  time,  where  its  help 
is  welcome,  modern  learning  is  rendering  a  beautiful 
service  to  Christian  faith.  And  this  is  the  grateful  testi¬ 
mony  of  thousands  of  intelligent,  consecrated  people. 
No  well-informed  person,  however,  would  deny  that  sci¬ 
ence  has  injured,  and  will  increasingly  weaken,  the  faith 
of  those  who  do  not  know  how  to  make  a  religious  use 
of  modern  learning. 

While  religion  and  science  have  distinctive  fields  to 

/ 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  41 


cultivate,  yet  neither  may  disregard  the  claims  of  the  other 
with  impunity.  Nevertheless,  we  do  rejoice  to  see  science 
tearing  down  the  “  old  cabin  ”  of  an  unscientific  world 
in  which  the  Church  has  lived  too  long.  But  when  it 
proposes  to  shut  God  out  of  the  new  mansion  of  a  scien¬ 
tific  universe,  those  who  know  and  love  Him  will  seri¬ 
ously  object, —  especially  since  the  new  knowledge  makes 
God  better  understood,  and  more  needed  than  ever. 

It  is  likewise  pleasant  to  see  religion  standing  for 
spiritual  verities  and  duties,  but  when  it  demands  that 
the  Christian  shall  live  in  a  world  that  is  crude  and  half 
false,  the  modern  man  resents  it.  He  simply  cannot  do 
it.  Yet,  to-day  and  always,  religion  should  be  a  simple 
story  that  anyone  may  understand;  but  it  should  not  be 
clothed  in  such  crude  and  antiquated  forms  as  to  an¬ 
tagonize  the  man  of  modern  knowledge. 

During  these  introductory  statements,  we  may  as  well 
admit  that  the  average  scientist  appears  to  have  as  poor 
a  knowledge  of  religion  as  the  average  Christian  has  of 
science.  Too  often  he  is  still  resisting  religious  concep¬ 
tions  that  all  intelligent  Christians  have  long  since  out¬ 
grown,  or  else  he  is  adopting  philosophical  theories  that 
are  only  half  thought  through.  This  is  amazingly  true 
of  some  men  who  are  superb  in  their  own  chosen  lines 
of  research.  No  one  is  hit  by  this  statement  unless  he  is 
standing  in  the  line  of  the  shot.  Whether  or  not  the 
reader  is  hit,  I  beg  of  him  to  keep  friendly  with  me  until 
he  has  heard  my  simple  story  of  God  in  His  world. 

Could  we  but  free  the  religion  of  Jesus  from  the  crude 


42 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


psychology  and  the  antiquated  science  of  other  days,  and 
see  it  at  home  in  the  fairer  world  of  to-day,  it  would 
shine  with  new  luster;  and  at  the  same  time  give  a  rich, 
new  meaning  to  the  world  itself, —  such  as  it  can  never 
have  apart  from  religion.  Science,  and  not  religion,  was 
responsible  for  crude  science. —  Religion  will  be  responsi¬ 
ble  if  it  retains  a  science  that  has  become  antiquated. 

Taking  our  stand  then  in  the  midst  of  modern  knowl¬ 
edge,  I  shall  endeavor  to  picture  religion  both  at  home 
and  happy  in  the  new  world.  I  shall  not  have  much  to 
say  directly  about  scientific  subjects,  but  shall  constantly 
try  to  keep  in  mind  the  man  with  modern  information. 
The  nearer  I  can  make  this  book  resemble  a  primer,  the 
better  satisfied  I  shall  be.  If  one  could  so  write  that  the 
learned  would  approve,  and  the  ignorant  understand,  his 
joy  should  be  full.  To  give  a  simple  description  of  God 
in  His  world  congenial  to  the  scholar,  while  comprehen¬ 
sible  and  acceptable  to  common  busy  people,  would  be  the 
highest  possible  service  one  could  wish  to  render.  In 
these  days  there  is  great  need  of  a  clear  presentation  of 
God;  a  presentation  that  is  free  from  the  entanglements 
of  technical  learning,  and  at  the  same  time  consonant  with 
the  known  facts  of  life.  Practical  men  would  like  to 
see  “  the  mended  circuit  of  our  religious  thoughts,”  since 
their  circuits,  in  many  cases  at  least,  seem  broken  beyond 
repair.  They  are  asking  for  a  simple  and  satisfying 
gospel  that  is  cognizant  of  the  facts  and  forces  among 
which  they  live  and  toil.  We  shall  begin,  therefore,  at 
the  very  beginning. 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  43 


1.  What  is  God? 

The  discussion  which  immediately  follows  does  not 
concern  itself  with  why  we  believe  in  God,  but  aims  to 
give  a  definite  idea  of  how  we  conceive  of  Him.  For 
those  who  have  a  natural  sense  of  God,  or  a  religious 
nature,  a  satisfying  conception  of  Him  will  be  ample  for 
their  spiritual  needs.  And,  furthermore,  those  who  doubt 
God’s  existence  need  first  of  all  a  definite  idea  of  what 
we  mean  by  the  term  Deity. 

It  is  a  pleasure,  therefore,  to  answer  in  the  words  of 
Jesus,  “  God  is  a  spirit.” 

This  might  very  well  be  regarded  as  a  final  answer 
but  for  the  fact  that  spirit  means  all  sorts  of  things  to 
different  minds.  When  I  once  asked  a  company  of  in¬ 
telligent  people  if  I  were  a  spirit,  they  promptly  an¬ 
swered  “  no,”  but  supposed  I  should  be  when  I  died. 
They  seemed  to  think  of  spirit  as  a  ghost,  as  something 
that  might  appear  or  disappear  through  locked  doors. 
The  same  idea  apparently  obtained  universally  in  times 
past,  and  that  doubtless  accounts  for  the  fact  that  the 
Greek  word,  meaning  spirit,  was  translated  “  Ghost  ”  in 
the  Scriptures  and  Apostles’  Creed.  But  the  idea  of  a 
visible  spirit  should  perish.  Spirits  are  neither  evil 
ghosts  nor  Holy  Ghosts.  Even  if  there  were  a  ghost, 
that  which  appeared  could  be  no  more  than  the  instrument 
of  the  spirit,  and  not  the  spirit  itself.  However  refined 
and  ghostly  the  form,  the  spirit  would  remain  as  invisible 
as  when  it  had  a  gross  human  body. 


44 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


As  further  evidence  of  confusion  on  this  subject,  a 
young  man  from  one  of  our  good  colleges  seeking  mem¬ 
bership  in  my  Church,  informed  me  that  he  had  peculiar 
views.  Spirit,  whether  applied  to  God  or  man,  had  no 
meaning  for  him.  He  wanted  to  join  the  Church  be¬ 
cause  in  that  way  he  believed  he  could  render  a  better 
social  service.  In  his  thought,  God  was  neither  a  per¬ 
son  nor  a  spirit,  but  a  force.  Having  no  satisfactory 
idea  of  spirits  he  had  banished  the  thought  of  them  en¬ 
tirely  from  his  mind. 

All  through'  my  own  period  of  doubt  I  conceived  of 
God’s  spirit  on  earth  as  something  emanating  from  a 
glorious  spiritual  form  in  heaven.  Thinking  that  this 
form  in  heaven  was  a  spirit  made  it  only  the  easier  to 
believe  that  God  himself  could  appear  to  men  if  He  cared 
to  do  so.  That  He  did  not  care  to  appear  to  His  chil¬ 
dren  and  thereby  settle  the  question  of  His  existence 
beyond  all  doubt  seemed  preposterous.  And  it  would 
still  seem  so  to  my  moral  sense,  if  I  retained  my  former 
conception  of  spirit.  Of  course  He  should  not  come  near 
enough  to  “  consume  us,”  but  He  might  come  near  enough 
to  convince  us. 

The  “  New  Thought  ”  people,  struggling  with  the 
meaning  of  spirit,  have  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
there  is  just  “  One  universal  substance  called  spirit ”  So, 
God  is  not  to  them  a  spirit,  but  simply  spirit,  “  a  universal 
substance.” 

Two  or  three  other  cults  believe  that  man’s  spirit  is 
simply  his  physical  breath. 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  45 

To  say  that  God  is  a  spirit,  then,  with  any  of  these 
gross  conceptions  in  mind,  is  sadly  to  misconceive  Him. 

Whether  we  say  God  is  a  Spirit,  a  Soul,  or  a  Person,  our 
meaning  is  the  same.  Of  these  three  expressions,  how¬ 
ever,  the  word  Person  is  the  best  because,  being  the 
scholar’s  term,  it  is  clearly  defined.  So  when  we  have 
learned  the  signification  of  the  word  Person,  we  shall 
attribute  the  same  meaning  to  all  three  words,  using  them 
interchangeably. 

In  speaking  of  God  as  a  person  the  scholar  never  has 
in  mind  either  form  or  substance,  however  rarefied.  He 
does  not  know  even  that  there  is  material  substance,  much 
less  spiritual  substance.  He  knows  very  well  what  per¬ 
sonality  is  as  experience,  but  beyond  that  he  knows  noth¬ 
ing  about  it.  Personality,  to  him,  means  a  Will  that 
knows  itself,  and  then  knows  Other  Wills.  When  we  say 
that  God  is  a  Spirit,  or  Person,  we  should  mean  that  He 
is  a  Loving  Intelligent  Will.  In  speaking  of  God  as 
the  Soul  of  the  universe  we  should  have  in  mind  the 
same  idea. 

There  is  no  harm  in  thinking  of  God  as  a  force  if  the 
force  is  intelligent,  and  knows  itself ;  but  a  force  that 
does  not  know  that  it  is  a  force,  is  not  God.  A  progres¬ 
sive  Jewish  rabbi  expressed  the  wish  that  we  could  get 
rid  of  the  word  God  altogether,  and  substitute  some 
such  word  as  “  Cosmos.”  When  asked  if  the  “  Cos¬ 
mos  ”  knew  that  it  was  a  cosmos,  or  that  we  were  talk¬ 
ing  about  it,  he  replied  that  he  did  not  think  so.  “  Then 
I  would  rather  worship  you,”  I  said,  “  than  your  cos- 


46 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


mos,  for  you  would  at  least  know  that  I  reverenced 
you.” 

An  intelligent  lawyer  friend  of  mine  once  said  to  me, 
“  Of  course  I  do  not  believe  in  a  personal  God.”  I  asked 
him  if  he  meant  that  he  did  not  believe  in  a  God  who  has 
a  form  in  heaven.  But  he  answered : 

“  Oh,  no,  no,  I  have  been  beyond  that  for  twenty-five 
years!  God,  if  He  means  anything,  means  the  infinite, 
while  a  person  means  the  limited.  Now,  who  ever  heard 
of  such  a  childish  thing  as  a  limited  infinite?  No,  pig- 
iron,  as  much  as  anything,  is  God.” 

I  replied,  “  With  all  your  intelligence,  you  haven’t  the 
remotest  idea  of  what  constitutes  personality.  You  are 
not  aware  that  by  personality  we  mean  a  certain  type 
of  experience,  and  not  a  substance.  Personality  is  real¬ 
ized  only  as  the  experience  of  self-knowledge  is  achieved. 
You  are  not  as  yet  much  of  a  personality,  you  are  hardly 
more  than  a  candidate  for  the  office,  but  by  making  a 
good  campaign  you  may  get  elected.  You  are  not  very 
personal  because  you  are  not  very  self-knowing,  and  if 
you  should  drop  the  plummet  into  the  depths  of  your  ex¬ 
perience  to  sound  yourself,  by  that  very  act  you  would 
acquire  new  depth,  and  would  need  to  try  again  to  fathom 
yourself.  So  at  best,  you  are  only  becoming  personal. 
None  but  the  Infinite  Experience  can  know  itself  per¬ 
fectly,  and  therefore,  God  alone  is  completely  personal.” 

My  friend  had  no  idea  either  of  God’s  personality  or 
his  own,  and  his  philosophical  conception  of  nature  was 
only  a  little  less  crude. 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  47 

It  was  a  long  step  in  the  right  direction  when  I  came 
to  realize  that  I  had  never  seen  my  mother,  with  whom 
I  lived  for  so  many  happy  years.  Yet  there  was  one 
thing  that  I  felt  sure  I  knew  —  absolutely,  as  I  knew 
nothing  else  —  and  that  was  my  mother.  Not  her  face, 
not  her  voice,  not  her  attitudes  nor  her  actions,  though  all 
these  I  knew  too  and  loved.  But  back  of  all  these  there 
was  a  real  mother,  of  whom  these  were  only  manifesta¬ 
tions.  And  this  real  mother,  that  I  knew  as  I  knew 
nothing  else,  was  silent,  and  invisible.  And  then  I  found 
that  I  knew  myself  too  —  hardly  as  well  as  I  knew  my 
mother,  but  in  the  same  way,  and  I  knew  myself  also  to 
be  invisible  and  silent.  My  spirit,  or  personality,  is  as 
invisible  and  silent  as  God.  I  have  no  more  seen  my¬ 
self  than  I  have  seen  Him.  Neither  has  my  naked  soul 
ever  made  a  sound.  All  the  words  that  my  soul  desires 
expressed  are  produced  by  a  sort  of  animated  phonograph 
which  we  call  the  mouth.  At  the  wish  of  my  invisible 
self  the  physical  organs  of  speech  set  the  air  vibrating, 
but  my  self-conscious  Will  is  eternally  silent.  There  is 
much  to  be  said  about  the  relation  of  Personalities  to  their 
instruments,  but  this  must  be  left  until  a  little  later.  It  will 
avoid  confusion  if  we  try  to  take  but  one  step  at  a  time. 

Great  scholars  may  think  that  such  ideas  as  I  have  en¬ 
deavored  to  illustrate  are  too  simple  to  require  statement, 
nevertheless  the  recognition  of  these  simple  facts  con¬ 
cerning  my  mother  and  myself  unlocked  my  prison  door. 
It  revolutionized  everything  within  me,  and  without  me. 
During  the  thirty  years  of  my  active  ministry,  it  has  been 


48 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


the  moulding  thought  of  my  life.  Once  realizing  that 
God  was  a  “  Loving  Intelligent  Will,”  I  no  longer  thought 
of  Him  as  sitting  on  a  throne,  or  showing  His  face 
through  parted  clouds.  This  conception  of  spirit  gave  to 
everything  new  shape  and  color.  It  was  the  idea  around 
which  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth  took  form.  The 
rest  of  this  book  must  further  explain  what  it  then 
meant,  and  still  means,  to  me.  As  the  result  of  a  better 
conception  of  spirit,  my  world  was  relieved  of  intoler¬ 
able  intellectual  burdens.  Simply  to  get  the  idea,  how¬ 
ever,  is  not  enough;  one  must  follow  it  out  logically  to 
see  where  it  will  lead  him. 

To  the  question,  “  What  is  God?  ”  I  once  more  answer 
that  He  is  a  Loving  Intelligent  Will.  And,  apart  from 
His  instruments,  He  is  silent  and  invisible,  here  and  every¬ 
where,  now  and  always. 

2.  Who  is  God? 

First,  allow  me  to  say  that  He  is  not  the  Father  of  our 
bodies,  though  He  is  the  Creator  of  them.  God  created 
trees,  but  He  is  not  the  Father  of  trees.  Fatherhood,  in 
addition  to  creation,  implies  likeness  so  close  that  father 
and  child  classify  as  members  of  the  same  family.  Our 
bodies  were  not  made  in  the  image  of  God. 

While  passing  through  my  Sunday  school  where  a 
college  woman  was  giving  some  supplementary  work,  I 
heard  her  teaching  the  young  people  that  we  were  made 
in  the  image  of  God  because  we  had  two  legs  instead  of 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  49 


four,  and  stood  on  end.  “  Why  in  the  name  of  con¬ 
science,”  I  thought,  “  do  we  permit  anyone  in  our 
churches  to  retain  such  detrimental  and  absurd  ideas?” 
This  woman  was  what  the  young  men  and  women  called 
a  “  cracker  jack  ”  in  her  college  line.  So  I  was  amazed 
at  her  crude  conceptions,  until  I  realized  that  she  had 
never  heard  an  exposition  of  the  primitive  story  in 
Genesis.  I  also  remembered  that  I  had  heard  it  preached 
from  a  pulpit,  that  man  was  in  the  image  of  God  because 
he  had  a  face,  and  walked  upright  instead  of  going  on 
all  fours.  Those  churches  that  believe  man  has  no  spirit 
except  his  breath  are  necessarily  confined  to  this  mon¬ 
strous  idea;  while  many  in  our  regular  churches  are  in  a 
maze  of  tangled  thoughts. 

According  to  Scriptures,  God  is  the  Father  of  spirits . 
The  “  Loving  Intelligent  Will  ”  is  the  Father  of  other 
loving  intelligent  wills.  This  makes  every  created  spirit 
a  God-child,  or  a  child  of  God.  These  terms  must  be 
interchangeable,  unless  we  are  playing  at  “  make- 
believe,”  when  we  say  that  a  spirit  is  a  child  of  God. 
Were  not  all  spirits  members  of  the  God  family,  it  would 
be  useless  to  teach  them  about  God;  for,  being  of  a  dif¬ 
ferent  order,  they  would  not  understand.  It  is  impossible 
to  teach  a  horse  the  things  of  a  man,  because  he  has  not 
the  spirit  of  a  man.  I  believe  in  an  anthropomorphic 
God,  simply  because  I  believe  in  a  Theomorphic  man. 
God  must  be  in  man’s  image,  because  man  is  in  God’s 
image.  But  it  is  not  the  animal  man  in  whose  image 
God  is. 


5° 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


I  should  never  believe  in  a  religion  that  I  was  inca¬ 
pable  of  experiencing.  Neither  could  I  experience  a  reli¬ 
gion  that  was  contrary  to  my  reason.  Nevertheless,  mine 
is  not  a  private  religion,  because  I  am  an  infinite  debtor 
to  the  world’s  best  thought,  and  to  the  world’s  best  ex¬ 
perience.  Without  the  help  of  the  ages  I  never  could 
have  thought  or  felt  that  which  I  cannot  avoid  think¬ 
ing  and  feeling  at  the  present  time.  This  is  not  an  effort 
to  prove  anything,  but  simply  an  attempt  to  picture  what 
I  see  and  feel,  with  the  hope  that  someone  else  may  see 
and  feel  in  the  same  way. 

The  great  pity  of  it  all  is  that  so  many  people  have 
never  known  the  world’s  best  religious  thought  and  ex¬ 
perience.  There  are  those,  a  thousand  years  behind  their 
age,  who  are  launching  new  religions  or  fostering  old 
ones,  who  are  utterly  oblivious  to  the  strata  upon  strata 
of  human  achievement  above  them. 

Yes,  God  is  the  Father  of  all  spirits ,  whether  they  re¬ 
side  on  earth,  or  in  heaven,  or  in  hell.  When  once  the 
meaning  of  spirit,  or  personality,  is  realized  there  is  no 
dodging  the  issue.  If  a  horse  goes  down  the  street 
keeping  company  with  himself  after  this  manner,  “  Now 
I  am  an  old  horse,  and  I  ought  to  be  a  good  old  horse, 
and  I  wonder  what  the  end  will  be,”  then  he  too  is  a  son 
of  God  and  our  brother,  though  he  has  four,  instead  of 
two  legs.  I  do  not  think  a  horse  so  keeps  company  with 
himself,  but  if  he  does,  then  we  must  own  him  and  hope 
for  the  time  when  our  brother  will  have  something  better 
than  a  quadruped  for  an  instrument. 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  51 

I  am  often  asked  what  angels  are  like.  That  is  an 
easy  question.  An  angel  is  very  much  like  my  wife. 
For  they  both  are  spirits,  and  children  of  God.  My  wife 
is  a  sister  of  all  the  angels,  and  if  Milton’s  great,  classi¬ 
cal  devil  exists,  he  also  is  our  brother,  and  a  child  of  God. 
All  spirits  are  children  of  God,  whether  good  or  bad,  just 
because  they  are  spirits. 

In  speaking  of  sons,  the  Bible  usually  means  the  good 
children  of  God;  yet  it  clearly  teaches  that  prodigals  are 
likewise  sons.  Earthly  parents  are  our  older  brothers 
and  sisters,  honored  and  much  beloved;  but  only  God  is 
the  Father  of  our  spirits.  No  one  need  fear  that  natural 
sonship  to  God  makes  it  less  imperative  that  we  should 
become  good  sons.  To  be  a  bad  son  of  God  is  a  most 
wretched  and  deplorable  thing  in  itself,  and  leads  inevi¬ 
tably  to  all  deserved  punishment.  A  good  Father  will 
not  be  slack  in  discipline.  And  furthermore,  the  rebel¬ 
lious  sons  of  God  are  not  slow  to  make  hell  in  this  life, 
and  that  they  will  make  no  more  hell  after  death  we  may 
not  dare  to  believe. 

If  the  truth  about  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the 
brotherhood  of  all  spirits  could  enter  the  minds  of  the 
people  with  all  that  it  involves,  it  would  break  the  heart 
of  the  Church,  and,  we  may  believe,  the  heart  of  the 
world  as  well.  As  yet,  however,  this  truth  is  but  dimly 
realized.  I  once  had  a  dear  old  friend,  a  saint,  whom  I 
greatly  appreciated.  With  her  white  hair  and  charm¬ 
ing  accent  she  was  beautiful.  Her  mind  was  richly 
stored  with  beautiful  poetry,  and  her  apt  quotations  often 


52 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


touched  me  deeply.  Loving  all  the  saints,  she  was 
equally  loved  by  them.  But  one  day  I  learned  that  my 
dear  old  saint  was  a  saint  only  in  spots  —  yet  she  was  a 
saint.  The  discovery  came  about  in  this  way;  I  asked 
her  if  she  knew  of  the  family  with  four  children  across 
the  way,  who  had  lately  come  to  her  neighborhood,  sug¬ 
gesting  that  she  might  be  useful  to  them.  Now,  what 
do  you  think  my  dear  old  saint  said?  With  a  spasmodic 
jerk  of  the  elbow,  and  a  toss  of  the  head,  she  replied, 
“No!  I  don’t  want  to  know  such  folks!”  This  was 
a  case  in  which  caution  was  unnecessary,  and  where  real 
service  might  have  been  rendered.  For  the  time  being 
my  friend  had  completely  forgotten  that  her  neighbors 
were  God’s  little  ones  and  her  own  brothers  and  sisters. 
She  had  forgotten  that  her  Father  was  over  there  strug¬ 
gling  and  suffering  to  save  His  children  from  sin  and 
harm,  and  that  He  sorely  needed  His  older  daughter  over 
the  way  to  help  Him.  My  dear  old  saint  would  not  go 
across  the  street  to  help  her  Father  whom  she  thought  she 
loved  so  dearly.  She  did  not  realize  that  God  was  the 
Father  of  all  spirits,  and  that  all  they  were  members  of 
one  family.  My  dear  old  friend  has  long  since  gone 
to  her  home  beyond,  and  has  learned  how  sadly  she  failed 
to  comprehend  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brother¬ 
hood  of  man.  This  knowledge  doubtless  gives  her  many 
a  heartache,  and  drives  her  forward  with  new  zeal  to 
learn  the  lesson  that  God  is  the  Father  of  all  spirits. 

We  may  be  proud  of  our  family  name  and  social  stand¬ 
ing;  we  may  think  that  we  are  different  and  apart,  but 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  53 


we  should  remember  that  no  one  ever  had  more  dis¬ 
reputable  children  than  God.  All  the  bad  people  are 
His  sons  and  daughters.  True,  they  have  dishonored  His 
name,  and  grieved  Elis  heart,  yet  Lie  does  not  disown 
them ;  rather  He  follows  them  into  all  the  dens  and  haunts 
of  vice  asking  them  to  return  home.  And  as  fast  as  we 
become  good  sons,  we  join  the  Father  in  His  love  quest 
for  His  prodigal  sons,  who  are  our  brothers. 

Possibly  I  am  a  direct  descendant  of  King  Swain  of 
Denmark  who  conquered  England  in  the  tenth  century. 
There  is  no  evidence  to  that  effect,  but  he  is  the  first 
Swain  of  whom  I  know  in  history.  However  this  may 
be,  with  every  other  self-conscious  being  I  can  lift  my 
head  and  say  with  justifiable  pride  and  gladness  of  heart, 
“  God,  who  makes  the  world,  is  my  Father.'  ’  How  won¬ 
derful  you  are,  O  God-child !  and  what  a  pity  it  would 
be  if  anything  should  drag  you  down  from  your  divine 
possibilities ! 


3.  Where  is  God? 

When  I  once  asked  a  company  of  young  people  where 
my  spirit  was  they  promptly  answered, 

“  In  your  body/’  I  inquired, 

“  In  a  part  of  my  body,  or  in  all  of  it?  Am  I  to  under¬ 
stand  that  my  spirit  is  just  the  shape  and  size  of  my 
body,  and  that  when  I  am  thin  of  flesh  my  spirit  is  not 
as  large  as  when  I  am  fleshy?  ” 

“  No,”  said  they,  “  we  do  not  like  that.” 


54 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


“  Oh !  your  spirit  is  in  your  brain,”  remarked  one 
young  fellow. 

“  Now,  then,  I  have  it,”  said  I,  “  my  spirit  is  just  the 
shape  and  size  of  the  cavity  in  my  skull.” 

“  No,”  he  replied,  “  we  don't  know  how  it  is.”  And 
they  did  not  know,  because  no  one  had  explained  it  to 
them.  This  is  what  I  told  them : 

“  The  spirit  is  not  in  the  body  as  a  hand  is  in  a  glove, 
for  that  is  one  thing  inside  another  thing.  Spirit  has  no 
dimensions.  If  any  boy  has  a  rule  in  his  pocket  let  him 
measure  my  ‘  conscious  will,'  and  tell  me  how  long  it  is.” 
They  promptly  replied  that  it  could  not  be  done.  So  I 
continued : 

“  If  my  self-conscious  will  occupies  no  space,  then  I, 
the  spirit,  am  neither  in  my  body  nor  out  of  my  body. 
I  am  nowhere.  ‘  Where  ’  applies  to  things  and  not  to 
spirit.  The  book  is  in  the  room  because  it  occupies  a 
definite  space.  When  we  say  that  our  spirits  are  in  our 
bodies  we  simply  mean  that  our  wills  are  capable  of  com¬ 
manding  our  bodies  and  making  them  act.  While  our 
spirits  are  nowhere,  yet  they  do  get  expressed  somewhere. 
For  all  practical  purposes,  spirits  are  where  their  instru¬ 
ments  express  them  in  time  and  space.” 

At  this  point  in  my  remarks,  I  turned  aside,  and  poked 
sharply  with  my  forefinger  a  friend  who  stood  near.  In 
reply  to  his  inquiring  look  I  said : 

“  I  did  not  poke  you.  It  was  this  finger.”  (Then  to 
the  boys)  “  Did  I  poke  him?  My  finger  touched  him  be¬ 
cause  I  wished  it.  My  will  got  expressed  right  at  the 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  55 

end  of  the  finger,  and  therefore  that  is  where  my  spirit 
seemed  to  be.” 

Again  I  punched  my  friend,  but  this  time  with  a  long 
stick,  and  when  he  turned  sharply  about,  I  said : 

“  I  did  not  jab  you,  it  was  the  stick.  But  the  stick,” 
I  explained,  “had  become  the  instrument  of  my  will; 
therefore  my  will  got  expressed  at  a  greater  distance  from 
my  body.  The  stick  was  really  the  lengthening  of  my 
finger.” 

I  then  told  them  of  the  man  in  Virginia  who  was  talk¬ 
ing  by  wireless  telephone.  It  is  reported  that  when  he 
spoke,  one  man  in  Paris,  and  another  in  Honolulu,  re¬ 
plied  at  the  same  time,  as  if  he  were  in  both  places : 

“Hello,  Jake,  is  that  you?”  Had  there  been  a  mil¬ 
lion  receivers  in  the  encircling  space  with  people  listen¬ 
ing,  it  would  have  seemed  to  every  one  of  them  that  he 
was  present.  Though  expressed  in  a  million  remote 
places  at  one  time,  he  would  not  have  been  divided  into 
a  million  persons;  neither  would  he  have  been  spread  out 
to  reach  all  the  places  occupied  by  his  listeners.  His 
instruments  would  have  been  spread  out,  but  not  his  soul. 
His  soul  would  still  have  remained  sharply  self-conscious. 
That  concentrated,  self-conscious  will  is  what  we  mean 
by  the  soul.  The  soul  is  always  a  definite,  personal  will, 
to  itself  and  to  the  one  or  the  many  with  whom  it  is 
communicating,  however  short  or  extended  its  instru¬ 
ments. 

That  the  young  people  grasped  this  conception  of  spirit, 
was  made  evident  in  a  subsequent  review. 


56 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


So  to  the  question,  “  Where  is  God?  ”  we  must  answer 
that,  as  naked  spirit,  He  is  not  anywhere,  but  that  His 
instruments  may  express  Him  everywhere.  Where  His 
instruments  end,  or  whether  nature  ends  at  all,  no  scien¬ 
tist  knows.  The  Divine  Spirit  is  no  larger  than  the 
human  spirit,  for  neither  of  them  has  any  largeness  at 
all.  God  is  simply  more  conscious,  more  loving,  and 
more  intelligent  than  we;  and  His  instruments  are  in¬ 
finitely  more  vast  than  ours.  Developing  a  soul  is  not 
making  it  larger,  but  making  it  more  loving,  intelligent, 
and  purposeful  However,  the  development  of  the  soul 
does  require  the  enlargement  of  its  instruments.  An 
undeveloped  person  may  be  very  conscious  of  his  body 
and  its  wants  and  scarcely  at  all  aware  of  his  soul  and 
its  needs.  To  be  infinitely  self-knowing,  like  God,  is  the 
most  concentrated  and  intensified  reality  conceivable.  So 
the  minister’s  wife  of  whom  we  have  spoken,  was  mis¬ 
taken  in  thinking  God  a  rarified  substance  like  ether, 
spread  out  to  fill  all  nature.  With  her  materialistic  con¬ 
ception  of  God,  she  thought  Him  so  spacially  big  that  she 
could  neither  know  Him  nor  love  Him,  whereas  He  is 
no  more  spread  out  than  the  mathematical  point  that  has 
no  dimensions.  To  give  complete  satisfaction  to  our 
friend,  it  will  be  necessary  to  show  her  the  various  ways 
of  approaching  this  Loving  Will,  the  Father  of  her  own 
invisible  self ;  but  for  this  we  are  not  yet  ready. 

Dr.  Lyman  Abbott  tells  of  sitting  at  the  table  one  day 
with  his  little  grandson  when  the  latter  said,  “  ‘  Grand¬ 
father,  how  can  God  be  in  Cornwall  and  in  Newburgh  at 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  57 

the  same  time  ?  ’  I  touched  him  on  the  forehead  and  said, 
'Are  you  there?’  'Yes.’  I  touched  him  on  the 
shoulder,  'Are  you  there?’  'Yes.’  I  touched  him  on 
the  knee,  ‘  Are  you  there?  9  '  Yes.’  '  That  is  the  way,’ 
I  replied,  ‘  God  can  be  in  Cornwall  and  in  Newburgh  at  the 
same  time.’  He  considered  a  moment,  and  shyly  smiled 
his  assent.” 

I  am  well  aware  that  we  have  not  said  enough  about 
God  to  make  Him  satisfyingly  near  and  personal  to  our 
love ;  but  it  is  a  start,  and  we  still  have  the  pleasure  of 
traveling  together  over  a  beautiful  road  until  we  shall 
stand  face  to  face  with  Him  whom  our  souls  seek.  We 
should  reach  this  desired  goal  in  the  fourth  chapter.  But 
if  we  become  impatient,  we  shall  spoil  the  journey,  for 
we  are  traveling  as  fast  as  we  can  go  without  having 
a  wreck. 

Here,  a  little  incident  from  actual  experience  may  be 
helpful.  My  eldest  son,  when  a  little  child,  would  not 
say  a  prayer.  This,  beyond  doubt,  was  abnormal,  be¬ 
cause  most  little  children  are  willing  to  pray.  As  my 
own  religious  life  had  given  me  so  much  trouble,  I  con¬ 
cluded  that  he  had  inherited  my  frailties,  and  not  his 
mother’s  virtues.  Being  perplexed  by  his  attitude  I  would 
sometimes  take  him  out  to  see  the  stars,  when  I  would 
speak  of  the  greatness  and  goodness  of  God.  Then,  once 
in  awhile,  though  not  often,  I  could  get  him  to  pray. 
We  did  not  wish  him  to  be  unduly  serious,  certainly  not 
solemn,  but  it  did  puzzle  us  to  know  why  he  would  not 
say  a  prayer.  So  one  day  when  he  came  into  my  study 


58 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


1  thought,  “  Now  is  my  chance.”  Taking  him  up,  I  set 
him  on  the  desk  before  me,  which  permitted  him  to  look 
out  of  the  window  upon  the  apple  trees  that  were  a 
bower  of  beauty  in  their  spring  blossoms. 

“Isn’t  this  a  beautiful  world?”  I  said. 

“  Yes,”  was  his  reply. 

“Who  made  it?” 

“  God.” 

“Well,  wouldn’t  it  be  nice  to  pray  a  little?”  I  asked. 

“  Oh,”  with  a  tone  of  aversion,  “  I  don’t  want  to 
pray !  ” 

“You  don’t  like  to  talk  to  God?” 

“  Huh!  ”  scornfully.  “  I  can’t  talk  to  God,  He’s  up  in 
heaven.” 

“  No,  God  is  in  your  heart.”  At  that  he  rose  to  his 
knees  and  said,  with  an  incredulous  look  on  his  face : 

“Well,  I  guess  I  can’t  jump  into  my  mouth!”  This 
made  me  feel  that  he  was  born  a  little  pagan,  but  at  the 
same  time  it  gave  me  one  clue  to  the  difficulty.  He  made 
a  difference  between  talking  and  praying.  That  he  liked 
to  talk,  I  knew,  but  now  it  appeared  that,  to  his  mind,  of¬ 
fering  prayers  to  some  one  so  far  away  was  quite  a  dif¬ 
ferent  thing.  Then  I  asked  him  if  he  thought  I  loved 
him. 

“  Yes,  I  know  you  love  me,”  he  said,  putting  his  arms 
about  my  neck,  and  giving  me  a  squeeze. 

“  Well,”  I  asked,  “  can  you  see  my  love?  ” 

“  Yes.” 

“  Are  you  sure  you  can  see  it?  ” 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  59 

“  Why,  of  course.” 

“  Well,  then,  put  your  hand  on  it.” 

“  I  can’t  see  your  love,  but, —  I  know  you  love  me, 
though! ” 

“  Yes,  you  do  know  that  I  love  you,  but  you  can’t  see 
my  love,  neither  can  you  see  me.” 

“  Yes,  I  can!” — and  his  hand  literally  flew  to  my 
cheek. 

“  Oh,  no,  that  is  not  papa;  that  is  flesh.  You  didn’t 
think  I  was  flesh,  did  you?  No,  you  can’t  see  me  be¬ 
cause  I  am  love,  or  spirit.”  Here  I  carefully  felt  of 
his  head,  saying,  “  Now,  that  is  a  bone  box,  but  I  don’t 
talk  to  a  bone  box  when  I  talk  to  you.”  Next,  feeling 
of  his  ear,  I  remarked,  “  Isn’t  that  a  funny  little  thing, 
a  piece  of  gristle !  • —  but  I  don’t  talk  to  gristle  when 
I  speak  to  you.”  Bringing  my  hand  down  over  his  face, 
I  continued,  “  Here  is  some  flesh  with  bones  under  it, 
but  I  don’t  talk  to  flesh  and  bones  when  I  talk  to  you. 
No,  I  can’t  see  you.  Yet,  my  love  knows  your  love,  and 
your  love  knows  my  love.  When  my  love  feels  your 
love,  then  we  say  you  are  in  my  heart;  and  when  our 
love  feels  God’s  love,  then  He  is  in  our  hearts.  Isn’t 
it  beautiful,  that  my  love  knows  and  likes  to  talk  to 
your  love,  and  your  love  knows  and  likes  to  talk  to  my 
love,  and  that  we  like  to  talk  to  God’s  love?  ”  He  didn’t 
wait  for  me  to  ask  him  to  pray,  but  at  once  began  in  a 
loud  whisper,  saying: 

“  O  God,  help  me  to  be  a  good  boy,  and  to  love  papa 
and  mamma,  and  everybody,  and  to  do  everything  that  is 


6o 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


good  A  Then  looking  up  with  a  smile,  he  asked,  “  Do  you 
know  what  I  was  doing?  ”  I  said: 

“  I  think  you  were  talking  to  the  Lord.”  With  evi¬ 
dent  satisfaction  he  admitted  that  he  was. 

Two  days  after  this  he  came  into  my  study  while  I 
was  reading  a  book  and  put  his  hand  on  my  knee.  Giving 
my  knee  a  hard  shove,  he  said : 

“This  isn’t  papa,  is  it?  This  is  papa’s  body .”  My 
book  went  out  of  the  way  in  a  hurry,  I  can  assure  you, 
and  there  was  a  dear  little  upturned  face  smiling,  which 
said,  “We  are  spirits,  aren’t  we,  papa?”  Never  after 
that  did  he  refuse  to  pray. 

Some  years  ago  a  successful  minister,  about  forty- 
five  years  of  age,  consecrated,  eloquent,  and  revered  by 
his  people,  asked  me  how  I  conceived  of  God  when  I 
prayed.  The  conversation  revealed  the  fact  that  he  was 
struggling  with  all  the  questions  that  troubled  the  little 
boy.  This  unhappy  condition  was  due  to  the  fact  that 
theology  begins  too  far  down  the  stream,  leaving  un¬ 
answered  and  unconsidered  the  best  questions  of  all,  the 
questions  of  children  and  fools. 

Once,  when  a  little  child,  I  was  told  by  my  mother  that 
God  saw  all  my  naughty  thoughts.  Immediately,  I  asked, 
“Where  is  God?”  She  answered,  “Everywhere.” 
“In  the  sky?”  “Yes.”  “In  this  house?”  “Yes.” 
“In  the  logs  erf  the  walls?”  “Yes.”  “In  the  table 
leg?”  “Yes.”  “If  I  were  to  saw  the  table  leg  off, 
would  I  hurt  God?”  “  Sh-h,  be  careful  what  you  say 
about  God.” 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  61 


That  last  question  was  as  legitimate  as  the  previous 
ones,  and  was  asked  with  equal  sincerity.  It  clearly 
revealed  my  materialistic  conceptions  of  God.  My  pres¬ 
ent  opinion  is  that  it  would  not  give  Him  pain  to  saw 
off  the  leg  of  a  table,  but  that  it  would  give  Him  pain  to 
amputate  a  human  leg.  God  knows  the  thrill  of  a  nerve 
better  than  we  do,  or  else  He  has  much  to  learn. 

A  relative,  visiting  in  my  home,  remarked  that  she  was 
utterly  confused  about  God;  and  that  she  had  been  read¬ 
ing  some  of  the  new  cults  of  the  day  with  the  hope  of 
finding  something  satisfying.  Consequently,  a  little  con¬ 
versation  followed  on  how  God  was  immanent  in  all 
nature.  So,  when  she  put  her  little  boy  to  bed  that 
night,  she  told  him  that  God  was  not  away  off  in  heaven 
but  near,  and  in  everything  that  was  good.  To  this  the 
little  fellow  replied,  “  Oh,  gee !  then  He  is  in  strawberry 
shortcake,  isn’t  He?”  The  poor  mother  was  at  the 
end  of  her  wits,  and  felt  that  the  devotion  which  fol¬ 
lowed  was  not  very  successful.  We  teach  that  God  is 
in  everything,  without  comprehending  how  He  is  in 
anything,  and  herein  lies  the  difficulty. 

The  question  of  how  God  is  in  nature  was  again  be¬ 
fore  us.  Some  one  suggested,  “  If  He  is  in  strawberry- 
shortcake,  is  He  likewise  in  the  garbage  can?”  “  Hor¬ 
rors  !  ”  exclaimed  another.  A  third  voice,  "  Now  where 
are  we !  —  do  we  believe,  or  do  we  not  believe  that  God 
is  in  all  nature?  ” 

A  garbage  can  may  be  most  repulsive  if  allowed  to 
breed  life;  yet  chemically  and  biologically  viewed,  its  con- 


62 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


tents  are  more  beautiful  than  any  fairyland  ever  de¬ 
scribed.  The  odor  and  sight  are  repugnant  to  us,  be¬ 
cause  the  refuse  is  not  wholesome  food  for  human  be¬ 
ings;  but  to  some  other  animals  it  is  more  delicate  than 
a  perfume  bottle.  The  other  animals  would  probably 
think  the  perfume  horrid  stuff.  The  “  Loving  Intelli¬ 
gent  Will  ”  is  not  in  nature  in  the  same  way  that  straw¬ 
berries  are  in  shortcake.  After  that  manner  God  is 
neither  in  nor  out  of  anything.  This,  however,  will 
be  made  more  plain  in  the  consideration  of  the  next 
question. 

Whether  or  not  the  reader  likes  these  illustrations,  at 
least  they  are  out  of  the  raw  experience  of  life,  and  re¬ 
veal  the  crude  conceptions  that  linger  concerning  God 
and  His  relations  to  the  universe.  A  child  can  ask  many 
of  the  vital  questions  concerning  religion  and  life  be¬ 
fore  he  can  count  ten;  and  if  his  questions  are  answered, 
he  will  ask  almost  all  the  religious  questions  before  he 
has  learned  the  multiplication  table.  This  is  because 
nothing  else  is  so  near  to  him  as  life  and  religion.  The 
mathematical  faculty  is  a  later  development. 

I  should  never  crowd  a  child  in  his  acquisition  of  reli¬ 
gious  knowledge;  but  when  he  wants  to  know,  if  we 
ourselves  know  the  way,  it  is  much  better  to  start  him 
on  the  right  track. 

4.  What  does  God  do  ? 

“  What  does  God  do  all  day?  ”  asked  a  little  boy  of  his 
mother. 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  63 

We  used  to  think  that  He  made  the  universe  in  a  week, 
and  that  ever  since  He  had  been  keeping  Sunday.  Dur¬ 
ing  this  long  Sabbath  we  believed  Him  to  be  engaged 
in  religious  work;  though  He  may  have  regulated  the 
universe  a  bit  now  and  then.  Now,  however,  we  see  that 
nothing  is  finished.  Even  new  worlds  are  being  formed, 
and  the  old  ones  are  constantly  being  changed.  It  is 
deeper  truth  to  recognize  God  as  making  the  universe  all 
the  time,  to  think  of  nature  as  God  at  work.  For, 
should  God  cease  working  there  would  be  no  world. 
We  used  to  say,  and  rightly,  too,  that  the  world  is 
crammed  so  full  of  meaning  and  purpose  that  it  must 
have  had  a  wise  Creator;  that  there  never  could  have 
been  such  a  world  without  a  God.  With  equal  propriety, 
we  may  now  say  that  there  could  no  more  be  a  God  with¬ 
out  a  world  than  a  world  without  a  God;  because  a  God 
who  was  so  indolent  and  purposeless  as  to  think  noth¬ 
ing,  and  feel  nothing,  and  project  nothing,  would  not  be 
worthy  of  a  second  thought. 

At  last  we  have  come  to  the  point  where  we  can  see 
how  science,  in  a  peculiar  way,  has  saved  religion.  Men 
have  always  been  pondering  over  God’s  relation  to  the 
wonderful  forces  of  nature  that  envelop  us.  They  could 
get  along  pretty  well  with  either  a  God  or  a  world,  but 
found  it  difficult  to  harmonize  both  thoughts.  There 
appeared  to  be  a  spirit  world  over  against  the  great 
lump  of  a  dirt  world.  The  bulk  of  things  often  seemed 
such  a  hindrance  that  men  dreamed  of  deliverance  by 
ultimately  getting  rid  of  the  material  universe  altogether. 


64 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Even  God,  it  was  thought  by  some  philosophers,  did  the 
best  He  could  with  the  stubborn  day  at  His  disposal. 
When  my  brother  was  killed,  I  could  not  decide  whether 
God  or  the  great  machine  world  killed  him.  Just  when 
the  world  acted,  or  just  when  God  acted,  was  to  me  a 
profound  mystery.  Fop  in  my  thought,  the  world  was 
a  great  automatic  machine,  that  ran  entirely  by  itself, 
except  when  God  occasionally  interfered.  Whether  He 
was  a  sort  of  spiritual  ether  penetrating  all  things,  or 
what,  I  could  not  at  all  decide.  But  like  the  Yale  pro¬ 
fessor,  I  still  believed  that  if  He  existed,  Tie  must  have  a 
visible  nucleus  all  His  own  in  heaven.  God,  at  the  center, 
was  a  ghost,  whom  His  ghost  children  would  find  only 
after  death.  According  to  the  common  teaching,  Jesus 
had  left  His  Father  and  happy  home  in  heaven,  having 
come  to  this  sinful  earth  to  be  clothed  with  a  physical 
body.  Of  course,  the  Father’s  spirit  was  represented  as 
being  with  Jesus,  but  the  Father  Himself  had  remained 
in  His  far-away  home.  So  my  confusion  was  worse 
confounded  by  thinking. 

During  many  centuries,  scholars  were  grappling  with 
the  thought  of  spirit;  and  they  did  some  good  thinking 
in  spite  of  their  mistakes.  Spirit  was  being  more  and 
more  clearly  defined.  It  increasingly  appeared  to  be  a 
self-conscious  will,  but  how  this  Infinite  Will  was  related 
to  the  great  lump  of  nature,  was  the  supreme  difficulty. 

Finally  the  scientists  took  the  lump  into  the  laboratories, 
when  behold!  it  melted  as  quickly  as  a  lump  of  sugar 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  6* 


melts  in  the  mouth  of  a  boy.  They  discovered  that  na¬ 
ture  was  no  lump  at  all,  but  a  bundle  of  beautiful,  com¬ 
plex  energies.  Nature  as  substance  scientists  have  driven 
to  the  vanishing  point;  so  much  so  that  no  great  physi¬ 
cist  would  dare  to  say  that  there  is  any  substance.  Yet 
nature  was  never  so  potent  in  the  lives  of  men  as  since 
it  has  been  reduced  to  invisible  energies.  The  knowl¬ 
edge  of  these  invisible  forces  and  the  power  to  manipu¬ 
late  them  make  men  almost  like  gods  in  their  achieve¬ 
ments. 

The  present  situation,  then,  is  a  little  like  that  of  put¬ 
ting  the  tunnel  under  the  Hudson.  One  gang  beginning 
on  the  Jersey  side,  and  another  on  the  New  York  side, 
they  bored  down  and  onward,  sometimes  going  far  be¬ 
low  the  water ;  but  when  the  workers  came  together  under 
the  Hudson,  they  had  varied  from  each  other  only  by  the 
least  fraction  of  an  inch.  Just  so  the  philosophers  and 
theologians  began  on  the  spirit  side,  reducing  spirit  to 
purposeful  energy;  while  the  scientists  began  on  the  na¬ 
ture  side  reducing  it  to  purposeful  energy  ;  and  when  the 
two  sets  of  workers  broke  through,  they  were  apparently 
at  the  same  point.  The  Christian  scholar  looked  up  with 
joy  and  amazement,  saying,  “  Why,  this  invisible,  pur¬ 
poseful  energy  of  nature  is  simply  what  God  is  thinking, 
and  feeling,  and  willing.  Whether  there  is  any  substance 
we  do  not  know,  but  whether  there  is,  or  is  not,  nature 
is  Will  in  action.  God  -continually  purposes  all  these 
energies  and  they  go  forth.  Light-energy,  and  all  other 


66 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


beautiful  forces  constituting  nature,  are  the  modes  of 
God’s  continuous  will.” 

“  What  does  God  do  all  day?  ”  Why,  everything  that 
is  being  done  in  the  universe,  except  that  which  other 
wills  are  doing.  And  the  child  will  is  only  combining 
his  Father’s  energies  and  thinking  his  Father’s  thoughts. 
The  child  never  works  apart  from  his  Father’s  enfold¬ 
ing  powers.  If  we  could  comprehend  all  the  dynamics 
of  the  universe,  we  should  know  what  God  is  doing  on 
that  plane  of  His  activities.  Or,  if  we  could  know  all 
His  loving  thoughts  and  higher  purposes  concerning  His 
children,  who  are  striving  and  building  in  the  midst  of 
these  simple,  enfolding  energies,  we  should  know  what 
God  is  doing  in  the  moral  realm.  The  wall  -of  partition 
is  broken  down,  the  veil  is  rent  in  twain;  we  live  in  the 
Holy  Presence,  since  there  is  no  other  place  to  live. 
With  Browning,  we  feel  that  the  atmosphere  “  Is  the 
clear,  dear  breath  of  God  who  loveth  us.”  The  pave¬ 
ment  on  which  we  walk  is  the  power  of  .the'  Great  Will 
bearing  us  up.  Likewise,  the  buildings  along  the  street 
are  more  of  His  beneficent  energies,  providing  shelter 
and  rest  for  His  loved  ones.  Our  bodies  are  also  His 
energies,  highly  sensitized,  through  which  we  become 
beautifully  aware  of  our  surroundings.  All  the  vitality 
in  the  quivering  beams  of  ships,  and  all  the  propelling 
force  in  their  engines,  is  but  the  power  of  a  Will,  and  that 
Will  is  the  Father  of  our  spirits.  Leaving  out  of  mind 
for  the  present  the  thought  of  the  vast  universe,  measure, 
if  you  can,  the  ocean  in  its  breadth  and  depth,  which  in 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  67 


its  ceaseless  rising  and  falling  raises  and  lowers  ship- 
cities  as  if  they  were  snowflakes ;  and  then  remember  that, 
if  rightly  applied,  there  is  power  enough  in  each  cup  full 
of  water  to  destroy  a  ship,  and  that  all  the  energy  of  the 
boundless  worlds  is  but  the  'will  of  Him  in  whom  we 
“  live  and  move  and  have  our  being.”  Having  done 
this,  if  you  are  not  something  less  than  a  man,  you  will 
fall  down  and  adore  in  wonder,  love  and  praise.  To  be 
brought  face  to  face  with  God  in  the  beauty  and  awful¬ 
ness  of  nature  is  the  only  cure  for  the  irreverence  of  this 
generation. 

But  some  one  says,  “  This  makes  God  too  great. 
Have  you  looked,  and  staggered  before  the  limitless 
heavens?”  Yes,  but  is  it  not  claimed  that  God  is  In¬ 
finite? —  and  we  have  not  yet  found  the  equal  of  in¬ 
finity.  With  all  our  insistence  upon  the  infinitude  of 
God,  perhaps  it  offends  some  to  think  of  Him  as  being 
equal  to  His  universe, —  or  even  to  the  little  part  of  it 
that  we  can  imagine.  However,  God  must  be  greater 
than  all  His  works. 

This  is  pantheism,  says  another.  No,  pantheism 
though  containing  many  beautiful  truths  is,  nevertheless, 
a  golden  mist.  Its  advocates  have  eliminated  personality, 
they  have  broken  the  mast  of  their  ship,  and  all  the  rig¬ 
gings  have  fallen  down  with  it.  Being  the  perpetual 
cause  of  all  things,  Self-conscious  Will  is  the  greatest 
fact  in  the  universe.  There  is  a  clear  distinction  between 
God  and  His  deeds,  even  as  there  is  a  distinction  between 
myself  and  what  I  am  now  thinking  and  doing.  This 


68 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Creative  Will  is  what  the  intelligent  Christian  means  by 
the  term  God.  Tie  conceives  of  this  Will  of  the  universe 
as  being  the  Father  of  all  other  wills.  We  are  not  to 
think  of  God  as  making  a  dirt  planet  which  He  has 
tossed  off  into  space  as  something  separate  from  His  will. 
He  never  put  His  children  on  such  an  isolated  Earth  as 
that  would  be,  to  roam  about  and  care  for  themselves  as 
best  they  might.  The  world  is  the  complex  energy  of 
His  will  never-ceasing,  with  which  He  enfolds  His  chil¬ 
dren.  He  carries  them  in  His  loving  powers  and  will  not 
let  them  go.  This  is  His  cosmic  relation  to  us;  but  it  is 
by  no  means  the  only  relation  which  He  sustains  to  His 
children.  His  more  personal  relationship  is  equally 
beautiful  and  necessary. 

Something  like  this  twofold  relationship  exists  between 
man  and  man.  We  know  that  it  is  best  for  us  to  build 
railroads,  though  many  are  sure  to  be  killed  by  them  how¬ 
ever  careful  we  may  be.  Yet  we  should  be  something 
more  than  railroad  operators;  we  should  be  personal 
friends  and,  if  occasion  should  arise,  minister  to  the  wants 
of  those  who  are  injured  ‘by  our  railroads. 

So  God  must  either  will  a  cosmos,  or  not  will  it.  He 
cannot  obliterate  a  part  of  the  world,  every  time  one  of 
His  wilful  or  ignorant  children  gets  in  the  way.  It  is  not 
even  best  for  His  children  that  He  should  do  so.  It  is 
far  better  to  have  a  definite  and  orderly  world,  though 
it  may  hurt  many.  Yet  God  never  forsakes  His  injured 
children,  but  leads  them  out  of  their  injuries  into  some¬ 
thing  better,  if  they  are  willing. 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  69 

Comforting  as  these  thoughts  are,  we  must  yet  travel 
a  long  way  before  we  come  to  a  completely  satisfying 
idea  of  God.  However,  this  is  not  discouraging,  because 
we  like  to  travel  when  the  prospect  grows  more  pleasing 
at  each  stage  of  the  journey. 

Some  think  there  must  be  a  dirt  world  because  they  see 
it.  In  a  way  I  seem  to  see  my  wife  when  I  look  at  her 
picture;  yet  I  only  see  a  bit  of  paper  irregularly  faded. 
Likewise  a  shining  light  appears  to  be  a  complete  thing 
in  itself,  whereas  the  sun,  doubtless,  is  as  dark  as  black¬ 
ness.  The  light  which  the  scientist  studies  is  waves  of 
energy,  traveling  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  thousand  miles  per  second,  but  that  is  not  the  sweet 
something  that  we  experience  as  light.  The  light  com¬ 
ing  from  the  sun  is  not  shiny  until  our  sensations  are 
added.  And  even  then,  it  is  our  feelings  that  are  bril¬ 
liant  because  our  nerves  were  struck  by  these  rapid  waves 
of  energy.  When  we  think  we  see  a  real  face,  it  is  only 
a  shadow  on  the  retina  of  the  eye;  which  eye  is  only 
another  bundle  of  energies,  and  not  the  substance  that 
it  appears  to  be. 

We  live  in  a  picture  world,  produced  by  God’s  energies 
beating  upon  other  energies  which  He  has  intimately  as¬ 
sociated  with  our  wills.  We  thank  God  for  these  pic¬ 
tures  because  they  are  the  visible  language  of  “  loving 
intelligent  wills,”  wills  that  in  themselves  are  silent  and 
invisible.  Yet  these  wills  are  known  in  consciousness  as 
a  bit  of  final  reality.  They  are  like  unto  God  who 
causes  the  vital  energies  that  result  in  the  pictures  of  a 


70 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


living,  rational  experience.  Experience,  therefore,  with 
its  inner  consciousness  and  its  outer  symbol,  or  picture, 
is  all  we  know.  So  when  they  would  take  us  out  of 
personal  experience  into  a  universal  “  substance  ”  called 
spirit,  they  are  offering  to  take  us  out  of  the  known  into 
the  unknown ;  for  they  do  not  know  whether  there  is  any 
substance. 

“  Why,  then/’  some  may  ask,  “  does  God  combine  His 
energies  to  form  a  poisonous  rattlesnake  ?  ”  God  has 
expressed  everything  imaginable;  the  beautiful  and  ugly, 
the  safe  and  harmful,  the  pleasant  and  painful,  the  gentle 
and  terrible,  and  all  these  are  but  the  alphabet  of  a  soul. 
If  He  had  given  us  nothing  but  abstract  definitions,  we 
never  should  have  learned  the  meaning  of  anything;  and 
scarcely  more,  if  He  had  given  us  only  the  beautiful  and 
pleasant  without  their  opposites.  But  He  has  made  us 
feel  the  meaning,  so  that  it  may  be  real  to  us.  From 
this  marvelous  alphabet  which  He  has  provided,  we 
learn  to  spell,  then  to  read,  and  finally  to  live.  When 
we  have  learned  the  meaning  of  poison  and  its  opposite, 
we  may  kill  the  rattlesnake,  or  cause  its  energies  to  dis¬ 
solve  and  pass  into  something  more  beautiful  and  safe. 
Thus  we  become  more  and  more  immune  from  all  that 
is  ugly  and  harmful,  and  more  appreciatively  attached 
to  all  that  is  beautiful  and  good.  The  ugly  and  harmful 
were  desirable  things  to  know  in  contrast  with  the  beauti¬ 
ful  and  good,  that  we  might  reject  the  one,  and  cleave 
to  the  other.  The  deeper  meaning  of  things  thus  learned 
will  give  significance  to  our  beautiful  world  long  after 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  71 


we  have  passed  beyond  the  evil  which  we  have  come  to 
loathe.  I  am  entirely  convinced  that  this  so-called  evil 
world  with  its  epidemics,  earthquakes,  and  cyclones  is 
the  best  conceivable  place  in  which  to  begin  a  soul ;  not  the 
best  possible  world  as  yet,  for  it  is  our  business  to  help 
make  it  better.  Neither  should  we  forget  that  the  ter¬ 
rible  is  often  the  overture  to  us  of  some  mighty,  benefi¬ 
cent  energy  which  we  have  not  yet  learned  to  use. 

Again  we  affirm  that  God  is  doing  everything  that  oc¬ 
curs  in  the  universe,  except  those  things  which  are  being 
done  by  His  children.  Nothing  ever  occurs  that  is  not 
directly  or  indirectly  the  act  of  some  will. 

5.  If  the  Ancients  made  their  gods,  how  do  we  know 
that  we  are  not  making  our  God? 

Doubtless,  the  great  fallacy  in  this  question  is  the  sup¬ 
position  that  the  Ancients  made  their  gods.  No  one 
ever  made  his  God  or  his  gods;  for  all  men  have  the 
same  identical  God,  living  and  moving  and  having  their 
being  in  Him.  They  have  Him  regardless  of  whether 
they  know  either  His  name  or  His  character.  Since 
there  is  no  other  God  or  thing  to  have,  all  must  have 
Him.  Neither  can  they  avoid  being  conscious  of  Him, 
nor  escape  having  opinions  concerning  Him.  All  reli¬ 
gious  opinions,  however  sane  or  grotesque,  are  about  the 
same  God.  The  Ancients,  being  conscious  of  our  God 
and  their  God,  were  sometimes  comforted  by  His  pres¬ 
ence,  while  at  other  times  they  were  greatly  frightened. 


72 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


As  they  could  not  escape  Him  they  tried  to  explain  Him ; 
and  in  the  act  of  explaining,  they  made  a  theology  and 
not  a  god.  Whoever  expresses  a  religious  opinion  is 
guilty  of  starting  a  theology.  Even  the  Ancients  were 
moved  by  an  objective  reality,  and  not  by  a  mere  idea. 
Though  their  idea  often  failed  to  describe  the  reality 
with  accuracy,  yet  if  the  reality  had  disappeared,  the  idea 
would  have  perished  from  among  them.  It  seemed  to 
them  that  there  was  a  god  of  thunder  and,  according  to 
our  interpretation  of  the  universe,  there  was;  for  if  our 
God  had  not  been  there  thundering,  they  never  would 
have  thought  of  a  god  of  thunder.  Neither  were  they 
mistaken  when  they  thought  there  was  a  god  of  harvest; 
because  our  God  was  there  making  their  harvests  grow 
as  He  does  ours,  and  was  feeding  them  as  He  feeds  us. 
We  all  make  worse  mistakes  than  that.  These  crude 
men  may  be  excused  for  thinking  that  a  crashing  thunder¬ 
storm  was  a  big  enough  task  for  one  god;  or  that  the 
fructifying  of  all  vegetation  was  ample  employment  for 
another. 

Those  early  men  worshiped  our  God  in  divided  form 
simply  because  they  could  not  think  of  a  God  great 
enough  to  carry  on  all  the  diverse  activities  which  they 
beheld.  Another  reason  why  these  crude  children  con¬ 
ceived  of  Him  as  many  gods  was  that  they  could  not 
understand  how  one  person  could  be  so  gentle  and  ter¬ 
rible  at  the  same  time.  Nevertheless,  they  would  not 
have  had  gentle  and  terrible  gods  if  our  God  had  not 
been  both  gentle  and  terrible.  They,  therefore,  no  more 


MODERN  KNOWLEDGE  AND  RELIGION  73 


made  their  gods  than  they  made  their  stars.  Their  gods 
were  our  God,  and  their  stars  were  our  stars.  We  call 
their  theology  mythology,  and  their  astronomy  astrology. 
Yet  mythology  is  crude  theology,  and  astrology  is  un¬ 
scientific  astronomy.  Astrology  arose  because  men  were 
influenced  by  real  stars,  and  were  impelled  to  offer  such 
explanations  as  they  were  able.  Without  astrology  we 
never  would  have  had  astronomy.  In  like  manner  men 
were  disquieted  by  the  same  Infinite  Power  that  dis¬ 
turbs  us  to-day,  and  were  moved  by  that  Power  to  offer 
their  best  interpretation.  But  without  their  mythology 
we  never  would  have  had  our  theology.  The  develop¬ 
ment  of  astronomy  will  never  cease  while  there  are  in¬ 
telligent  men  for  stars  to  shine  upon.  Nor  will  the  idea 
of  God  cease  to  expand  while  men  are  enfolded  in  the 
vast  purposeful  energy  called  the  universe. 

Our  early  brothers  were  trying  to  comprehend  and  in¬ 
terpret  our  God  who  was  as  present  to  them  as  He  is  to 
us.  And  here  we  are  in  the  year  nineteen  hundred  and 
twenty,  a.  d.,  still  trying  to  expound  Him;  because  the 
need  is  not  less  now  than  then.  Those  who  know  most 
about  God  best  realize  the  need  of  knowing  more.  When 
we  no  longer  try  to  increase  our  knowledge  of  God,  we 
shall  cease  to  love  Him. 

6.  May  we  not  be  communing  with  a  mere  idea? 

No,  that  is  impossible.  Because,  whatever  it  is,  it  is 
at  least  an  objective  reality.  Its  grip  is  that  of  the 


74 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


universe.  We  can  not  let  it  go  because  it  will  not  let 
us  go.  We  are  worshiping  more  than  an  idea;  we  are 
worshiping  what  we  live  in;  we  call  it  God;  we  think  it  is 
“  Loving  Intelligent  Will.”  We  believe  that  the  power 
that  enfolds  us  knows  itself  and  us.  And  that  we  are 
not  mistaken  in  this,  our  assurance  deepens  as  our  knowl¬ 
edge  increases.  We  find  that  if  we  do  not  neglect  or 
stultify  any  portion  of  our  nature,  our  insight  grows. 
If  we  invest  our  all  on  the  conception  of  a  spiritual  uni¬ 
verse  we  get  astonishing  results  to  the  individual  and  to 
society.  Then  follows  more  insight  and  the  incentive  to 
invest  again  our  talents  that  have  doubled  in  the  using  of 
them.  Of  this,  however,  we  shall  have  more  to  say  later. 
For  the  present  suffice  it  to  say,  the  object  of  my  wor¬ 
ship  is  the  great  reality;  all  the  reality  there  is,  except 
my  will  and  the  other  wills  whom  I  call  brothers.  To 
state  clearly  what  we  mean,  before  trying  to  tell  why  we 
believe  it,  is  of  the  utmost  importance.  With  an  ex¬ 
perimental  knowledge  of  God,  and  with  ideas  of  the  uni¬ 
verse  that  harmonize  therewith,  our  heads  and  hearts 
are  thoroughly  anchored  in  Him.  If  our  every  line  of 
vision  converges  to  this  end,  our  insight  gives  us  God 
as  the  great  enfolding  reality.  Our  further  task  is  to 
make  the  idea  of  God  clear  and  to  show  how  the  lines 
of  vision  converge.  In  this  task,  modern  knowledge  is 
the  Christian’s  best  ally. 


CHAPTER  III 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL,  AND  WHAT  IS  HIS  PLACE 

IN  THE  UNIVERSE? 

What  is  man? 

Who  is  man ? 

Would  the  absence  of  man  cripple  God ? 

What  could  an  infinite  God  care  for  such  a  little  speck ? 
Is  not  socialism  the  best  religion  there  is? 


i.  What  is  man? 


We  do  not  fully  know  “  what  ”  and  “  where  ”  God  is 
until  we  know  what  man  is,  and  how  God  and  man  are 
working  through  each  other.  Our  knowledge  of  God 
grows  with  our  knowledge  of  man.  We  can  understand 
neither  without  knowing  both.  At  every  stage  of  the 
discussion  our  subject  is  made  complex  by  the  intertwin¬ 
ing  of  the  human  and  the  Divine.  Hence,  this  chapter 
—  while  introducing  man  —  takes  us  deeper  into  the  life 
of  God. 

Man  does  not  have  a  soul.  Neither  does  the  sun  set. 
Though  we  know  better,  yet  for  convenience,  we  con¬ 
tinue  to  speak  of  the  sun  as  setting.  For  the  same  rea¬ 
son  we  still  say  that  man  has  a  soul  when  we  mean  that 
he  is  a  soul.  Soul  is  person,  body  is  instrument.  The 

75 


76 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


instrument  does  not  have  the  person,  the  person  has  the 
instrument.  The  soul  is  the  child  of  God.  How 
strangely,  therefore,  it  would  sound  to  ask :  Does  a  man 
have  a  child  of  God?  The  reverse  question,  however, 
is  perfectly  fitting:  Does  a  child  of  God  have  a  body? 

Man  is  a  spirit,  a  soul,  or  a  person.  All  men  are  alike 
in  that  which  constitutes  them  personalities,  or  self-con¬ 
scious  wills.  It  is  in  their  individuality  that  men  differ. 
In  the  first  place,  some  are  more  developed  than  others; 
and  then  they  have  different  tastes,  different  knowledge, 
different  temperaments,  and  different  occupations.  This 
diversity  of  individuality  clearly  distinguishes  one  man 
from  another,  and  at  the  same  time  greatly  enriches 
society. 

Like  his  Father,  man  is  a  loving  intelligent  will.  Like 
Him,  too,  he  is  always  silent  and  invisible,  save  as  his 
instruments  express  his  thought  and  wish  in  time  and 
space.  So  far,  Father  and  child  should  be  defined  in  the 
same  terms ;  for  however  they  may  differ  in  other  respects, 
they  are  alike  in  being  self-conscious.  If  either  is  be¬ 
low  self-conscious  will,  he  is  something  less  than  a  per¬ 
son.  Though  man,  as  we  find  him,  is  not  always  so  very 
loving,  nor  so  very  intelligent,  yet  that  is  what  he  is  in 
his  best  estate.  So  far  as  we  can  understand,  the  sinless 
man  soul  lifted  to  the  infinite  power  would  be  the  same 
as  God.  This  spiritual  definition  does  not  imply  that 
either  God  or  man  exists,  or  could  exist,  without  form  and 
outward  expression. 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


77 


2.  Who  is  man? 

We  think  of  Man,  the  soul,  as  a  child  of  God,  or  a 
god-child.  Therefore,  he  is  worthy  of  his  brother’s 
highest  esteem,  and  his  Father’s  tenderest  affection.  He 
is  a  very  son  of  the  infinite  God;  and  all  created  spirits, 
being  his  brothers,  are  members  of  one  family.  Again 
we  say,  “  O  god-child,  how  wonderful  you  are,  and 
what  a  pity  it  would  be  if  you  failed  to  recognize  your 
divinity,  or  allowed  anything  to  drag  you  down  from 
your  divine  possibilities !  ”  Man  must  know  himself  if  he 
would  attain  unto  the  goal  of  life. 

Though  man  is  a  soul,  yet  without  the  body  he  can¬ 
not  so  much  as  come  to  self-consciousness.  Just  how 
or  when  a  soul  begins,  we  do  not  know;  but  it  does  not 
appear  until  some  time  after  the  body  is  born.  A  new¬ 
born  babe  can  neither  see,  feel,  nor  hear,  with  any  intelli¬ 
gent  meaning  of  the  words.  It  will  stare  into  the  most 
glaring  light  without  intelligence  enough  to  shut  its  eyes. 
It  does  not  recognize  objects  for  some  time,  and  when  it 
does,  misses  the  object  for  which  it  reaches.  The  in¬ 
fant  is  likewise  slow  in  distinguishing  sounds  or  names. 
If  the  soul  exists  when  the  body  is  born,  it  is  only  a  latent 
personality  which  has  not  yet  come  to  self-realization. 
Personality  is  self-conscious  will,  and  this  the  child  has 
not  yet  achieved. 

Let  us  here  consider  the  relation  of  a  new-born  body 
to  God  and  the  universe.  God  begins  His  creative  ac¬ 
tivities  in  what  the  scientists  call  stellar  ether,  where  His 


78 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


energies  combine  and  recombine  in  a  more  and  more  com¬ 
plex  world,  until  the  solar  system  appears  with  planets  in 
the  condition  of  our  earth.  After  more  combinations  and 
recombinations,  out  on  the  surface  of  all  things  His  ac¬ 
tivities  blossom  in  the  finest  bit  of  organism,  the  sensi¬ 
tized  thing  which  we  call  the  human  body.  This  body, 
the  flower  of  all  God’s  activities  in  nature,  requires  all 
nature  for  its  support.  Furthermore,  the  chemical  ener¬ 
gies  constituting  the  body  itself  are  what  God  is  think¬ 
ing,  and  feeling,  and  doing.  Strictly  speaking,  it  is  His 
body,  the  first  instrument  in  the  whole  order  of  develop¬ 
ment,  the  only  body  on  earth  capable  of  articulate  speech 
and  loving  deed.  If  God  did  not  continually  will  the 
body  and  all  the  supporting  energies  of  the  universe,  the 
body  would  cease  to  be.  Before  the  man  soul  appears  at 
all,  we  have  God’s  world  culminating  in  what  we  call  the 
human  body.  When  a  man  soul  awakes,  it  is  in  God’s 
own  bosom,  in  His  own  body.  Man  awakens  in  God’s 
enfolding  energies,  and  not  outside  them;  for  outside  of 
God  he  could  not  exist. 

It  is  amusing  to  hear  a  little  boy  speak  of  his  father’s 
automobile  as  “  my  car  ” ;  but  it  isn’t  his,  even  though 
the  father  is  pleased  to  see  the  little  fellow  spread  him¬ 
self  in  it  and  claim  ownership.  Yet  it  is  his  too,  in  the 
sense  that  the  father  gladly  shares  it  with  him.  And 
some  day  when  the  child  is  too  big  to  be  a  little  boy,  and 
too  little  to  be  a  big  boy,  he  may  take  his  father’s  car  and 
run  it  into  the  ditch.  But  even  the  wreck  is  his  father’s 
wreck.  In  the  same  way,  if  we  live  at  all  it  is  in  our  Fa- 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


79 


ther’s  enfolding  instrument.  His  body  is  ours  because  He 
gladly  shares  it  with  us.  However,  if  we  do  not  use  it 
in  harmony  with  His  will,  we  wreck  it  in  the  ditch. 

God  wakes  His  child  to  consciousness  in  His  own  body, 
by  making  all  kinds  of  impressions  upon  the  sense  or¬ 
gans.  There  are  many  rappings  on  the  door,  and  flashes 
of  light  through  the  windows  until  the  soul  wakes.  And 
when  the  soul  becomes  conscious,  God  may  not  cease 
beating  upon  the  instrument  with  myriad  forces,  lest  His 
child  fall  asleep. 

Some  morning  when  a  loved  form  bends  over  the  infant 
body,  the  baby  smiles,  and  the  soul  begins  to  appear. 
That  is  a  wonderful  day  when  the  baby  gives  its  first 
smile.  Little  by  little  the  child  becomes  aware  of  itself 
and  of  its  mother.  Should  the  baby  be  fortunate  enough 
to  have  two  or  three  brothers  and  sisters,  he  will  learn 
some  day,  when  he  is  a  little  older,  that  they  all  want 
the  same  thing  at  the  same  time.  Then  he  will  be  very 
conscious  of  other  wills . 

We  know  that  other  wills  exist  because  they  live  in  our 
enveloping  world,  and  constantly  use  it  in  a  way  that  we 
approve  or  resent.  If  they  did  not  know  and  disturb 
our  world,  we  should  not  be  aware  of  them  even  if  they 
existed.  We  know  that  other  wills  exist  because  they  sell 
us  coats  that  they  have  made,  and  cut  down  trees  in  our 
forests,  and  shape  them  into  things  that  have  meaning 
for  us  and  them.  They  modulate  the  atmosphere  in 
which  we  live,  producing  sounds  that  stand  for  objects 
with  which  we  are  familiar.  They  learn  our  words  and 


8o 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


facial  expressions,  and  use  them  to  make  us  feel  happy 
or  uncomfortable.  Nature  is  the  common  instrument  of 
all  wills. 

As  we  cannot  come  to  the  consciousness  of  ourselves, 
nor  of  other  wills,  except  through  the  body  and  its  en¬ 
vironments,  neither  can  we  develop  the  soul  without  culti¬ 
vating  the  physical  instrument  and  that  which  surrounds 
it.  There  is  always  a  corresponding  development  be¬ 
tween  soul  and  body.  As  Browning  says, 

“We  know  not  whether  soul  helps  body  more  than 
body  helps  soul.” 

We  simply  know  that  soul  and  body  develop  together, 
and  that  if  either  is  injured  the  other  is  harmed.  A 
physical  change  in  our  bodies  takes  place  with  every 
thought.  We  cannot  silently  love  without  disturbing  the 
gray  matter.  We  make  paths  through  our  nervous  sys¬ 
tem  with  every  thought  and  deed.  If  we  had  a  means 
of  photographing  all  the  muscular  and  nervous  conditions 
wrought  in  our  bodies  by  our  thoughts  and  actions,  they 
would  correspond  to  every  growth  of  spirit.  The  face 
becomes  beautiful  with  a  beautiful  soul,  and  the  body 
becomes  refined  by  every  improvement  of  the  spirit. 

I  once  shook  hands  with  the  great  French  organist, 
Guilmant.  When  I  clasped  his  hand  I  forgot  everything 
else;  the  hand  was  so  soft,  and  yet  so  firm!  All  the 
inspiration  and  purpose  of  his  soul  had  been  registered  in 
his  body.  And  what  a  hand  it  was !  I  shall  never  for¬ 
get  that  touch.  It  gave  new  meaning  to  Tennyson’s  beau¬ 
tiful  line,  “  Oh  for  the  touch  of  a  vanished  hand !  ”  Our 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


81 


looks,  smiles,  accents,  and  very  gait  become  the  expres¬ 
sion  of  the  soul. 

We  once  had  a  maid  who  came  home  in  the  dejected 
state  following  intoxication.  When  I  appeared  she  said : 

“  I  has  me  faults  the  same  as  others,  but  me  heart  is 
all  right.’ ’  Now,  could  her  heart  be  right  and  her  body 
wrong  ?  Can  we  have  a  pure  soul  and  an  unclean  body  ? 
Can  we  have  an  honest  heart  and  a  pilfering  hand?  Cer¬ 
tainly  not.  For  as  the  pure  soul  cleanses  the  body,  so  the 
degraded  body  pollutes  the  soul.  Soul  and  body  must 
grow  together, —  and  alike.  Sometimes  we  speak  of  a 
purely  spiritual  experience  apart  from  all  physical  excit¬ 
ability;  but  such  a  thing  is  impossible,  because  every 
spiritual  thought  has  its  beautiful,  physical  accompani¬ 
ment.  The  physical  may  run  riot,  as  with  some  musicians 
who  are  principally  noise  and  bluster;  but  the  fact  still 
remains  that  the  most  bilious  and  cold  philosopher  en¬ 
joys  his  gentle  nervous  thrill. 

All  worthy  education  means  the  spiritualizing  of  the 
body.  Both  before  death,  and  after,  the  good  man  has  a 
spiritual  body.  Not  a  spirit  body,  but  a  spiritual,  a  re¬ 
fined  and  sensitive  instrument  of  the  spirit.  Through¬ 
out  eternity  man  will  be  spiritualizing  his  body,  or  else 
degrading  it. 

We  soon  outgrow  our  immediate  bodies,  and  find  it 
necessary  to  augment  them  with  all  the  forces  of  nature. 
These  enlarged  bodies  must  likewise  be  spiritualized  or 
they  will  pervert  the  soul, —  as  is  proved  by  every  de¬ 
graded  form  of  institutional  life. 


82 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


The  early  man  dimly  realized  that  if  he  could  get  a 
larger  hand,  he  would  be  a  greater  man.  So,  augment¬ 
ing  his  hand  with  a  club,  he  achieved  a  new  growth  in 
mind  and  character.  Finding  himself  a  greater  man,  he 
tried  once  more  to  increase  his  hand.  Next,  finding  a 
sharp  stone  with  which  he  could  hack  down  small  trees, 
he  created  a  new  mental  and  moral  demand  for  a  still 
finer  instrument  of  his  spirit.  Then,  in  turn,  he  aug¬ 
mented  his  hand  with  bronze  and  iron  until  all  great 
thundering  mills  and  all  cunning  tools  appeared  as  the 
mighty  hand  of  the  human  will.  This  required  an  enor¬ 
mous  soul  growth  in  knowledge  and  character,  and  a 
corresponding  growth  in  social  consciousness  and  self- 
consciousness.  To  further  our  soul  growth  there  is  still 
a  pressing  demand  for  enlarged  instruments.  So  it  must 
ever  be  an  even  race  between  soul  growth  and  hand 
growth. 

In  the  same  way,  man  developed  soul  and  legs.  It 
became  necessary  to  make  swifter  legs  or  suffer  a  dwarf¬ 
ing  of  his  soul.  Consequently,  he  increased  his  speed 
with  cancels  and  horses ;  but  even  these  became  inadequate 
for  his  soul’s  growth.  Then  ensued  a  race  of  soul  and 
legs,  until  to-day  automobiles,  steam  cars,  and  every 
means  of  swift  locomotion  are  but  the  augmented  legs 
of  man.  The  growing  man  soul  is  still  in  quest  of 
swifter  means  of  locomotion,  and  as  these  appear  so¬ 
ciety  is  changed  to  its  very  foundations.  New  trades, 
new  mental  powers,  new  moral  conditions  confront  him 
everywhere ;  and  still  he  is  speeding  up. 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


83 


When  man  made  for  himself  far-seeing  eyes  in  the 
telescope,  the  heavens  opened;  and  what  he  saw  in  the 
heavens  made  for  him  a  new  earth.  Then  making  for 
himself  a  short-seeing  eye  in  the  microscope,  he  discov¬ 
ered  within  and  beneath  things  a  new  world,  which  in 
turn  was  a  vast  commentary  on  the  heavens  above. 
Likewise  it  may  be  truthfully  said  that  soul  and  eyes 
have  made  an  even  race  in  their  development.  The  same 
is  true  of  soul  and  ears.  Said  a  great  building  contractor 
of  Chicago  thirty-five  years  ago,  “No  man  in  the  past 
ever  dreamed  of  such  a  business  as  we  are  conducting, 
for  it  would  have  been  impossible  without  the  telephone.” 
The  telephone  is  but  the  enlargement  of  man’s  ears  and 
mouth.  This  contractor  moved  men  and  materials,  at 
will,  over  a  radius  of  a  hundred  miles.  Even  the  musical 
soul  found  a  new  incentive  when  the  mouth  was  enlarged 
by  piano,  pipe  organ,  and  orchestra.  Every  enlargement 
of  the  mouth  calls  for  new  musical  skill  in  complex  tech¬ 
nique,  and  in  finer  inspiration  and  fuller  elaboration.  In 
short,  every  man  soul  is  in  quest  of  omnipresence.  Liv¬ 
ing  as  he  does  in  his  Father’s  enfolding  energies,  he  can 
know  himself,  and  grow  himself,  only  so  far  as  he  makes 
the  instruments  of  his  Father’s  will  the  instruments  of 
his  own  will.  The  man  soul  is  in  the  process  of  taking 
on  the  whole  universe  as  his  enlarged  body.  Two  hun¬ 
dred  pounds  is  quite  large  enough  for  the  little  body  which 
he  ever  carries,  and  cares  for,  but  to  be  a  growing  son  of 
God  he  must  progressively  make  the  universe  his  aug¬ 
mented  body.  At  night  he  may  lay  off  his  big  body  and 


84 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


rest;  but  in  the  morning  he  must  put  on  his  larger  body, 
the  universe,  as  he  puts  on  his  clothes  and  his  boots,  and 
go  forth  to  live  and  work  with  God,  his  Father. 

3.  Would  the  absence  of  man  cripple  God? 

Yes,  the  absence  of  man  would  thoroughly  cripple  God. 
Without  the  possibility  of  a  family,  God  would  just  a3 
well  never  have  been.  This  is  not  an  unbecoming  or 
irreverent  remark,  but  a  statement  that  is  very  pleasing 
to  God;  it  vindicates  everything  that  is  highest  in  His 
Holy  Nature.  His  wisdom,  character,  and  love  are  all 
involved  in  His  purpose  to  have  a  family. 

If  we  eliminate  the  thought  of  His  family,  what  wis¬ 
dom  is  there  in  anything  God  has  made?  The  produc¬ 
tion  of  coal  is  a  wonderful  display  of  wisdom,  love,  and 
power;  but  apart  from  the  thought  of  children  who  would 
discover  the  coal  and  put  it  to  all  its  marvelous  uses, 
what  motive  could  there  have  been  in  such  an  act  ?  God, 
as  a  solitary  will  in  the  universe,  never  intended  to  mine 
coal,  warm  houses,  cook  food,  or  fire  engines.  All  the 
marvelous  by-products  of  coal  could  have  no  value  or 
meaning  apart  from  a  complex  society;  but  with  a  family 
in  mind  the  production  of  coal  becomes  a  sacrament 
worthy  of  a  God,  and  lays  the  foundation  of  a  kingdom, 
all  glorious  in  wisdom,  love,  and  power. 

Iron,  likewise,  has  a  rational,  moral,  and  social  signifi¬ 
cance  beyond  all  power  to  express.  Its  uses,  all  the  way 
from  steel  bridges  and  engines  to  the  hair  springs  of 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


85 


watches,  suggest  the  imagination  of  a  mind  infinite  and 
loving.  The  human  family  never  could  have  climbed  to 
glory  except  on  an  iron  stair;  but  take  away  the  family, 
and  iron  means  nothing. 

The  large  part  that  wood  has  supplied  in  the  develop¬ 
ment  and  happiness  of  the  race  is  beyond  the  imagination 
of  any  but  an  infinite  mind.  To  what  infinite  uses  it  has 
been  and  may  yet  be  put,  from  the  homeliest  utilities  to 
organs  and  violins!  Soft  woods,  hard  woods,  and  pre¬ 
cious  woods  have  entered  into  the  very  warp  and  woof 
of  human  life.  Wood  is  a  miracle,  robbed  of  its  wonder 
because  the  gift  is  so  lavish.  Yet  what  sense  would  there 
be  in  creating  wood  in  all  its  varieties,  with  no  one  to 
put  it  to  any  of  its  sacred  uses?  These  same  thoughts 
would  equally  apply  to  all  the  precious  metals. 

Why  should  God  create  a  chemical  world  unless  He 
had  chemists  in  mind?  What  would  it  amount  to  if 
there  were  not  those  who  could  take  nature  apart  and 
recombine  it  to  infinity  for  His  glory  and  their  happiness  ? 
But  there  is  no  end  to  questions  of  this  kind  that  might 
be  asked  concerning  God  and  His  works.  In  short,  a 
depopulated  universe  is  robbed  of  all  its  meaning  and 
glory.  Without  a  family,  God  would  be  reduced  to  a 
child  god  playing  with  a  toy  world.  And  being  alone, 
He  could  not  so  much  as  complete  His  toy.  At  best  the 
universe  is  but  raw  material  until  His  children  have 
turned  it  into  a  finished  product.  When  God  and  His 
children  begin  turning  nature  into  finished  products  the 
highest  creation  is  just  begun.  By  transforming  nature 


86 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


into  a  social  institution  that  reflects  God’s  wisdom  and 
love,  common  nature  is  glorified.  Without  a  family 
there  is  no  sense  in  anything,  and  God  Himself  would 
be  without  moral  worth  or  meaning.  To  be  sure,  He 
could  get  along  without  a  few  of  us  if  we  should  utterly 
refuse  to  cooperate  with  Him;  but  without  a  loving 
family,  God  would  be  completely  defeated.  He  “  So 
loved  the  world,”  and  with  equal  propriety  it  might  be 
said  He  so  needed  the  world,  “  that  He  gave  His  only 
begotten  Son.” 

Before  God’s  family  arrived  He  was  simply  getting 
ready  to  do  the  supreme  thing.  But  with  His  children 
about  Him,  loving  and  alert,  the  meaning  of  all  things 
from  the  beginning  commences  to  appear,  and  the  glorious 
end  is  dimly  discerned.  No  greater  travesty  on  the  na¬ 
ture  of  God  could  be  conceived  than  that  which  makes 
Him  independent  of  His  children.  And  to  think  that 
God’s  desire  for  mere  adoration  is  His  chief  need  of  man 
is  but  slightly  less  a  travesty.  God  yearns  for  the  love 
and  adoration  of  His  children,  and  with  no  less  desire, 
He  calls  upon  them  to  help  Him  carry  forward  His  work 
of  creation.  Love  without  work  and  achievement  is  first 
insipid,  and  then  stale.  God  can  no  more  fulfill  Himself 
without  children  than  men  can  fulfill  themselves  without 
Him.  If  God’s  highest  works  fail  Him,  then  God  Him¬ 
self  has  failed. 

The  permanent  absence  of  children  would  stultify  God’s 
reason  and  character  by  rendering  useless  all  that  He  is 
and  all  that  He  has  made. 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


4.  What  could  an  infinite  God  care  for  such  a  little 

speck  ? 

It  would  be  interesting  to  know  who  originated  this 
question,  for  he  should  wear  the  badge  of  his  own  igno¬ 
rance.  In  his  mind,  the  little  “  speck  ”  probably  signified 
the  human  body.  But  as  we  have  already  seen,  that  is 
not  man;  it  is  only  his  instrument.  And  besides,  man 
may  progressively  augment  his  little  body,  causing  it  to 
articulate  with  the  whole  body  of  nature.  Moreover,  the 
human  body  is  primarily  God’s,  the  flower  of  all  His 
works  in  the  vast  unfolding  universe.  Does  God  care 
for  these  myriad  blossoms  of  his  universe?  One  might 
as  well  ask,  “  What  could  a  horticulturist  care  for  the 
little  blossoms  on  his  apple  trees  ?  ”  Let  the  insects  sting 
them,  or  the  frosts  bite  them,  he  has  big  trees  to  absorb 
his  attention! 

Unless  God’s  world  could  blossom  into  myriad,  deli¬ 
cate  forms,  as  homes  for  man  souls,  the  universe  would 
be  as  useless  as  a  barren  apple  tree.  The  little  flower 
is  not  something  apart,  its  production  taxes  the  entire 
strength  and  purpose  of  the  tree.  Neither  is  the  human 
body  something  apart,  its  production  taxes  the  entire 
strength  and  purpose  of  the  universe.  As  the  flower  is 
the  tree’s  glory  and  promise  of  fruit,  so  the  human  body 
is  nature’s  glory  and  promise  of  souls. 

If,  however,  the  “  speck  ”  refers  to  the  real  man,  the 
spirit,  then  the  question  is  equally  foolish.  An  intelligent 
will  is  neither  a  “  speck,”  nor  something  spread  out  like 


88 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


ether.  Furthermore,  that  which  can  be  so  deeply  im¬ 
pressed  by  the  vastness  of  the  universe  is  not  insignificant 
in  itself.  A  mastodon  would  not  be  overwhelmed  by  the 
vastness  of  the  universe.  Neither  is  the  great  universe 
overwhelmed  by  a  sense  of  its  own  magnitude.  In  his 
sense  of  awe,  the  foolish  man  who  asked  the  question 
transcends  the  great  universe  itself.  To  be  overwhelmed 
with  our  inability  to  know  the  universe  is  partly  know¬ 
ing  it,  or  else  we  should  not  be  so  completely  over¬ 
whelmed.  That  is  not  insignificant  which  can  measure 
the  distance  to  the  stars,  and  weigh  the  planets,  and  mark 
out  the  shape  and  size  of  their  orbits.  That  is  not  in¬ 
significant  which  can  discover  the  very  elements  of  which 
the  sun  is  composed.  Man’s  primary  body  may  be  rela¬ 
tively  small,  but  it  is  so  highly  organized  that  he  can 
augment  it  until  his  instrument  reaches  the  stars. 
Though  the  sun  is  approximately  ninety-three  million 
miles  from  our  earth,  yet  the  intelligent  mind  of  man  dis¬ 
covered  helium  in  the  sun  before  he  discovered  it  upon  the 
earth.  This  feat  of  His  child  must  have  given  the  Father 
keen  delight. 

Man’s  body  is  potentially  as  great  as  the  universe  be¬ 
cause,  being  so  delicately  organized,  it  can  articulate  with 
the  world  elements  to  the  farthest  sun  that  twinkles  in  the 
blue. 

The  Luther  Burbanks  are  revealing  our  supremacy 
over  the  vegetable  kingdom.  The  animal  kingdom  is 
known  to  be  equally  plastic  under  our  shaping  hand;  for 
juggling  with  animal  life  is  one  of  man’s  pastimes.  By 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


89 


using  pressure,  he  has  taken  a  single  cell  life  and  divided 
it  into  twins.  He  has  taken  two  separate  cells  and  formed 
them  into  a  giant.  Taking  off  the  head  and  tail  of  some 
lower  forms  of  life,  he  has  made  the  head  grow  where 
the  tail  was,  and  vice  versa. 

No  one  mind  can  find  time  to  learn  of  all  the  wonders 
achieved  by  the  human  family  in  the  realms  of  nature 
and  of  social  well-being.  A  simple  statement  of  man’s 
achievements  in  the  twenty  or  thirty  allied  sciences  is 
more  thrilling  than  all  the  romances  ever  written.  Man’s 
power  for  good  or  evil  is  stupendous  and  overwhelm¬ 
ing.  It  is  in  the  realm  of  human  life  that  God  Himself 
will  be  victorious,  or  else  defeated.  All  creation  will  fail 
if  man  fails.  I  here  speak  of  man  in  the  sense  of  God’s 
children,  wherever  they  may  be  in  the  universe.  The 
people  on  this  earth  might  fail  without  bringing  universal 
disaster;  but  if  God’s  children  throughout  the  universe 
should  fail  Him,  then  all  is  lost.  If  God  did  not  “  care 
for  ”  His  children,  it  would  be  the  same  as  not  caring 
for  Himself,  since  all  His  aims  and  purposes  culminate 
in  His  family.  God  has  crowned  man  with  glory  and 
honor,  by  putting  all  things  under  his  feet. 

The  world  is  as  ignorant  of  man  as  it  is  of  God;  and 
the  prevailing  idea  of  either  is  a  caricature. 

It  is  doubtful  whether  a  self-conscious  moral  will  could 
be  awakened  outside  of  a  body,  or  inside  of  one  if  it  were 
less  highly  organized  than  the  human  body.  The  higher 
animals  share  our  sensations  of  pain  and  pleasure,  but 
it  is  extremely  doubtful  whether  any  of  them  share  in 


9° 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


our  self-conscious,  moral  purposes.  Possibly  a  soul  must 
appear  in  any  such  highly  organized  form  of  God’s  ener¬ 
gies  as  a  human  body,  and  cannot  appear  where  the  or¬ 
ganization  of  His  energies  falls  short  of  this  high  stand¬ 
ard.  If  we  believe  the  body  to  be  the  integration  of 
God’s  own  energies  it  would  not  be  strange  if  the  body 
proved  to  be  the  incipient  soul.  We  have  not  yet  sounded 
the  depths  of  God’s  creative  wisdom  either  in  the  soul  or 
the  body;  we  only  know  that  soul  and  body  are  bound 
together,  and  that  God’s  highest  achievement  and  deep¬ 
est  interest  center  in  them.  How  infinitely  precious  in 
the  sight  of  God  are  His  children,  the  crown  and  glory 
of  all  His  wisdom,  love,  and  power! 


5.  Is  not  socialism  the  best  religion  there  is? 

When  socialism  means  the  Kingdom  of  God,  it  is  the 
best  religion  conceivable.  And  it  is  a  pity  that  either 
religion  or  socialism  should  ever  mean  anything  less  than 
the  Kingdom  of  God;  for  when  they  drop  below  that 
standard,  the  one  is  spurious  religion  while  the  other  is 
counterfeit  socialism;  the  former  discarding  society,  and 
the  latter  eliminating  God,  both  alike  become  a  menace. 

Last  summer  in  Madison  Square,  New  York,  I  listened 
to  a  socialist  who  was  ridiculing  the  very  idea  of  God. 
Exhorting  his  listeners  to  have  a  little  sense,  he  advised 
them  to  get  rid  of  God,  priests,  ministers,  churches,  and 
King  Capital.  He  said : 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


9i 

“  You  have  but  one  life  to  live,  and  it  is  short;  if  ever 
you  get  anything,  you  must  get  it  now.” 

This  type  of  socialism  is  a  scourge,  a  pest,  a  bubonic 
plague.  Nevertheless  we  would  not  minimize  the  crime 
of  withholding  from  men  their  rights  in  this  life. 

Another  socialist  speaking  at  a  park  in  my  own  city 
said  : 

“  In  the  past,  the  capitalist  has  taken  it  all,  leaving  the 
working  man  only  enough  for  the  food  necessary  to  do 
his  work, —  and  not  always  that.  But  we  do  not  blame 
him,  he  had  a  right  to  take  it  because  he  could ;  —  we 
should  have  done  the  same  if  we  had  been  in  his  place. 
That  is  what  life  means;  "the  race  is  to  the  swift,  and 
the  battle  to  the  strong.’  Only  the  fittest  have  a  right  to 
live.  But  our  turn  is  soon  coming  when  we  shall  be  able 
to  take  it  all, —  and  we  will.” 

Now,  whoever  teaches  a  theory  like  that,  or  acts  upon 
it,  is  a  cancer  in  the  social  body.  It  makes  no  difference 
whether  or  not  he  is  a  church  member,  whether  business 
man,  or  laborer;  such  a  man  is  a  malignant  growth  in 
the  body  of  humanity. 

It  is  just  because  socialism  means  anything  from  the 
religion  of  Jesus  to  this  putrid  stuff,  that  the  average 
well-meaning  person  is  cautious  about  identifying  him¬ 
self  with  any  movement  bearing  the  name  of  socialism. 
Yet  any  religion  that  stands  aloof  from  social  well-being 
is  doomed, —  as  it  ought  to  be.  No  man  can  love  God 
while  hating  his  brother ;  and  whether  he  loves  his  brother 
is  proved  more  by  his  actions  than  by  his  words.  To 


92 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


love  our  brother,  as  we  shall  see,  is  enlightened  selfish¬ 
ness  as  well  as  altruism. 

“  God  in  the  soul  ”  has  been  rather  a  popular  definition 
of  religion.  To  many  minds  this  definition  conveys  a 
rich  and  ample  meaning.  To  others  it  conveys  gross 
error,  for  religious  hysteria  is  often  thought  to  be  God  in 
the  soul.  A  mere  psychic  state,  a  religious  opiate,  a 
mental  disease,  may  be  so  interpreted.  It  is  a  question 
whether  any  definition  of  religion  is  safe.  A  description 
of  religion  is  far  preferable  to  a  definition,  and  has  the 
advantage  of  being  an  easier  task.  When  we  identify 
religion  with  the  Kingdom  of  God,  we  have  a  perfectly 
clear  idea.  The  Kingdom  of  God  is  a  loving ,  intelligent 
family  organized  around  the  Father's  good-will ,  living 
in  the  universe  as  His  home ,  using  the  forces  of  nature 
as  the  instruments  of  His  will and  making  all  things  vocal 
with  His  wisdom ,  love,  and  power. 

This  is  true  religion;  this  is  a  desirable  socialism;  this 
is  right  life.  For  such  an  end  God,  man,  and  the  en¬ 
veloping  powers  of  nature  exist.  Any  loss  of  this  vision, 
any  lack  of  warmth  or  enthusiasm  for  its  realization, 
spells  degeneration.  Such  a  state  of  mind  means  the 
perversion  of  nature,  the  engendering  of  rebellion  in  the 
Kingdom  of  God,  and  the  making  of  prodigals.  Reli¬ 
gious  experience  does  not  mean  just  any  kind  of  comfort¬ 
able,  private  feeling,  but  a  conscious  love  for  the  family 
of  God,  and  conscious  interest  in  the  work  that  God  and 
His  children  are  trying  to  accomplish  in  the  midst  of  na¬ 
ture's  forces.  Religious  experience  means  an  active  de- 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


93 


sire-  to  brighten  the  great  world  home,  and  to  gladden  the 
great  world  family.  The  idea  is  so  simple  that  a  child 
can  understand  it;  and  a  child’s  heart  may  glow  with 
happiness  while  helping  to  brighten  the  world.  To  take 
one’s  place  in  the  family  of  God  as  a  member,  loving, 
and  beloved,  is  something  infinitely  better  than  cold  ethics. 
Character  that  does  not  root  itself  in  friendship  is  poor 
character;  it  bears  not  the  fruit  of  righteousness,  love, 
and  joy.  Our  debt  of  friendship  to  all  men  is  no  less 
binding  than  our  financial  obligations.  Friendship  is  the 
great  power  for  good  in  the  world.  “  I  have  called  you 
friends,  and  such  you  are.”  And  because  they  were 
friends,  Jesus  revealed  to  His  disciples  all  the  secrets  of 
His  soul,  and  threw  over  them  the  spell  of  His  life.  By 
interweaving  their  lives  in  some  great  purpose,  or  by 
promoting  a  common  enterprise,  friends  lift  each  other 
into  the  finest  vision.  Simple,  hearty,  and  unfeigned 
friendship  for  God  and  men,  is  religion  pure  and  unde¬ 
filed.  A  wise  man  does  not  defer  friendship  until  he  is 
perfect,  but  seeks  friendship  first  to  learn  what  perfection 
is,  that  through  friendship  he  may  receive  strength  to  be 
perfect. 

The  new  truths  clearly  manifest  concerning  God,  man, 
and  nature  cause  a  new  heaven  to  dawn,  and  a  new  hell 
to  yawn.  Heaven  is  brighter,  and  hell  is  hotter,  than  we 
had  been  thinking.  The  relation  that  exists  between  God, 
man,  and  the  universe  makes  it  perfectly  plain  that  God 
does  not  go  ahead  of  His  children  to  make  either  heaven 
or  hell.  There  is  no  heaven  on  either  side  the  grave,  ex- 


94 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


cept  that  which  is  made  by  the  cooperation  of  God  and 
His  children.  Though  there  are  plenty  of  heavenly  sites 
in  the  universe,  yet  the  building  of  a  Holy  City  is  never 
begun  until  some  of  God’s  children  have  arrived  on  the 
scene.  They  who  organize  around  the  good  will  of  God 
build  a  heaven  in  time  and  place;  out  of  God’s  energies 
in  which  they  live,  they  make  a  beautiful  home.  Heaven 
is  doubtless  a  place  as  well  as  a  state,  for  souls  that  are 
in  a  right  state  will  make  a  right  place  in  which  to  live. 
More  than  likely  there  are  many  heavens  in  the  universe. 
In  my  city  heaven  may  be  on  one  floor  and  hell  on  an¬ 
other,  while  the  character  of  the  third  floor  is  uncertain. 
Souls  cannot  live  outside  of  God’s  enfolding  energies, 
and  therefore  they  cannot  avoid  making  either  heaven 
or  hell  out  of  His  infinite  powers.  Citizens  of  the  King¬ 
dom,  under  the  guiding  wisdom  of  God,  make  heaven. 
Those  who  refuse  citizenship,  preferring  their  own  way, 
make  hell ;  but  they  make  it  out  of  the  same  mighty  forces 
of  which  heaven  is  made. 

The  idea  that  God,  independent  of  His  children,  made  a 
pretty  place  called  heaven,  and  an  ugly  place  called  hell, 
in  order  that  He  might  put  good  little  people  in  the  one, 
and  push  naughty  little  people  off  into  the  other,  is  the 
idea  of  a  fool’s  heaven  and  a  fool’s  hell ;  —  the  facts  are 
much  more  glorious  and  awful.  There  will  be  just  as 
good  a  heaven  as  the  Kingdom  of  God  builds,  and  no 
better.  Likewise  there  will  be  just  as  bad  a  hell  as  God’s 
disloyal  sons  make,  and  no  worse.  No  dream  can  pic- 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


95 


ture  the  paradise  that  God  may  make  in  this  universe  with 
the  help  of  His  good  children.  And  the  hell  that  His 
rebellious  sons  may  create  is  something  appalling.  Since 
heaven  or  hell  is  simply  the  shape  we  give  to  God’s  en¬ 
folding  energies,  all  of  us  are  unavoidably  engaged  in 
constructing  the  one  or  the  other,  and  we  have  been  so 
engaged  every  moment  since  our  conscious  life  began. 
No  one  dare  think  that  all  his  work  is  heaven-building. 
Altogether,  through  vice  or  greed,  we  have  managed  to 
produce  of  late  the  hottest  Gehenna  ever  witnessed  on 
earth.  It  has  taken  longer  to  make  this  sad  condition  than 
most  of  us  realize  ;  and  many  who  little  suspect  their  re¬ 
sponsibility  and  guilt  have  been  active  agents  in  creating 
the  fires  of  war  and  other  fires  in  which  there  has  been 
of  late  so  much  writhing  and  gnashing  of  teeth.  And 
at  the  moment  of  the  world’s  greatest  anguish,  there  were 
those  who  were  trying  to  get  rich  out  of  the  state  of 
sorrow  into  which  they  had  helped  to  plunge  humanity. 
I  refer  to  all  profiteers  and  crooked  dealers,  whether  they 
were  laborers  or  capitalists;  to  those  who  were  willing 
that  additional  hundreds  of  thousands  of  our  boys  should 
go  down  into  the  lake  of  fire,  if  only  they  could  fill  their 
coffers.  These  were  the  devils  who  stood  round  the  boil¬ 
ing  caldron  with  their  flesh  hooks,  to  tear  the  flesh  of 
innocent  boys  if  they  rose  to  the  surface  of  the  boiling 
liquid.  Some  of  these  flesh-hook  devils,  having  refined 
manners,  posed  as  gentlemen.  Others  were  lewd  fellows 
of  various  sorts.  But  the  flames  which  they  fed  were  not 


96 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


hot  enough  for  them.  They  were  getting  ready  for  a  fire 
that  will  burn  much  deeper,  and  they  will  be  sure  to 
find  it. 

During  the  war,  many  found  their  faith  in  God  stagger¬ 
ing  before  a  perdition  created  by  human  beings.  But 
their  faith  should  not  have  been  unsettled,  because  this 
war  was  as  sure  to  follow  the  way  the  world  was  living 
as  the  wheels  of  the  cart  are  certain  to  follow  the  tread 
of  the  ox.  Some  had  the  blindness  and  audacity  to  blame 
God  for  what  we  have  done.  God  gave  us  the  raw  mate¬ 
rial  with  which  to  build  a  heaven,  and  we  constructed  a 
hell.  Through  His  many  prophets  and  seers  God  told 
us  what  we  were  doing,  but  we  would  not  believe  Him. 
Thinking  ourselves  wise  we  became  fools,  and  turned 
His  good  gifts  into  instruments  of  torture.  The  majority 
of  the  people,  believing  that  they  could  get  along  without 
giving  much  heed  to  God,  took  His  limitless  gifts  and 
made  a  grand  holiday  instead  of  a  Holy  Day,  and  then 
rode  in  automobiles  and  yachts  to  their  doom.  When  a 
world  is  bad  enough  to  make  war,  it  needs  war.  Though 
I  had  three  sons  between  my  heart  and  Germany’s  steel, 
yet  I  realized  that  America  had  to  be  hurt  for  her  own 
salvation,  for  the  salvation  of  Germany,  for  the  safety  of 
the  world,  and  for  the  utter  destruction  of  the  German 
intriguers.  If  the  people  of  the  allied  nations,  however, 
had  been  shaping  the  instruments  of  their  spirits  into 
clean  bodies,  happy  homes,  honest  business,  and  good 
governments,  and  all  of  these  into  the  Kingdom  of  God 
on  earth,  Prussia  could  not  have  dreamed  her  dream  of 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


97 


world  dominance,  nor  would  she  have  dared  to  throw 
down  the  gauntlet  before  the  world.  But  seeing  our 
weakness,  she  scorned  our  threats.  Being  under  tutor¬ 
ship  to  the  god  of  power,  in  spite  of  her  vices,  which 
were  equal  to  those  of  other  nations,  Prussia  became 
shrewder  and  stronger  than  the  nations  that  were  too 
largely  feasting  under  a  bacchanalian  god,  or  softly  en¬ 
joying  themselves  under  a  Santa  Claus  deity,  or  were  pil¬ 
ing  up  unrighteous  gains  under  no  god,  or  under  one  that 
was  capable  of  wicked  favoritism.  It  was  clear  to  the 
prophets  of  the  Most  High  that  something  was  due, — 
and  it  came.  Bad  as  war  is,  that  state  of  society  which 
makes  war  possible  is  even  worse.  When  society  grows 
its  body  into  a  monster,  the  corrective  influence  of  hell, 
in  some  form,  is  the  last  hope.  This  does  not,  however, 
exonerate  Germany  from  the  crime  of  launching  a  ruth¬ 
less  war  to  gratify  her  lust  for  world  domination.  God 
surely  could  not  help  it,  since  the  human  family  shaped 
its  body  as  it  did  against  light  and  conscience;  but  if  there 
were  no  retribution  for  sin  and  ignorance  He  would  lose 
His  family  utterly.  Hell  inevitably  came  when  the  tools 
were  forged  and  the  devils  were  trained ;  but  God  neither 
forged  the  tools  nor  trained  the  devils. 

I  am  advocating  no  moral  prudery,  nor  religious  big¬ 
otry.  Neither  do  I  wish  to  imply  that  heaven  has  not 
been  built  up  side  by  side  with  hell  during  the  last  fifty 
years, —  for  it  has.  Those  who  have  profited  intellectu¬ 
ally  and  spiritually  by  the  revelations  of  modern  learning, 
and  by  the  new  influx  of  power,  and  by  the  new  social 


98 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


opportunities,  have  made  the  last  fifty  years  the  grandest 
in  human  history.  Of  these  noble  sons  and  daughters  it 
should  be  said:  their  growth  in  the  knowledge  of  God, 
their  success  in  the  discovery  of  man,  their  achievements 
in  wresting  from  nature  its  deepest  secrets,  their  grasp 
on  the  meaning  of  God’s  Kingdom,  their  accomplish¬ 
ments  in  the  practical  launching  of  everything  pertaining 
to  a  new  era  and  a  finer  world  order  have  made  this  the 
golden  age  for  all  who  have  seen  the  vision  and  shared 
in  the  work.  Yet  over  against  this  kingdom  of  light  and 
love,  there  has  grown  up  a  kingdom  of  darkness  and  hate. 
These  two  kingdoms  have  grown  up  side  by  side  in  every 
civilized  country.  And  finally  the  kingdom  of  darkness 
embroiled  all  the  nations  in  a  deadly  conflict.  Seeing  all, 
and  feeling  all,  God  was  the  greatest  sufferer  in  the  awful 
carnage  of  the  contending  armies.  “  In  Him  we  live,  and 
move,  and  have  our  being;”  and  therefore  armies  live, 
and  fight  their  battles  in  God.  They  fight  their  battles 
with  God’s  own  powers,  and  make  gaping  wounds  in 
His  own  body.  And  yet,  some  will  ask,  “  Where  was 
God?  ”  Not  only  was  He  in  the  thick  of  the  fight,  but 
the  thick  of  the  fight  was  in  His  beautiful,  enfolding  en¬ 
ergies.  We  shall  make  heaven  out  of  the  selfsame  ener¬ 
gies  when  we  are  done  making  hell  out  of  them.  And 
then,  as  now,  God  will  be  in  our  midst ;  but  He  will  be  in 
our  midst  as  a  joyous,  and  not  a  suffering  God. 

It  would  have  been  a  pity  if  this  war  had  ended  before 
the  nations  opened  their  eyes  to  the  higher  purposes  of 
God  for  future  civilization,  or  before  their  consciences 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


99 


had  been  cleansed  for  the  work  of  advancing  the  King¬ 
dom.  God  will  come  to  our  help  with  mighty  power 
when  we  come  to  His  help  with  mighty  obedience.  Gen¬ 
eral  Sherman  said,  “  War  is  hell.”  This  has  generally 
been  taken  to  mean  that  war  is  as  terrible  as  hell;  but 
it  is  more  than  that,  it  is  hell  literally,  because  hell  is  never 
anything  but  war.  If  there  were  no  war  of  any  kind 
there  would  be  no  hell.  This  is  equally  true  either  side 
the  grave.  If  there  were  no  individuals  in  the  universe 
to  oppose  God’s  will  and  so  misuse  His  enfolding  energies 
as  to  harm  one  another,  hell  would  cease  to  be.  The 
beginning  of  hell  is  very  pleasurable,  and  that  is  why  men 
begin  it.  But  it  always  grows  more  and  more  terrible 
until  it  becomes  a  lake  of  fire.  It  is  worse  than  brim¬ 
stone,  because  men  have  found  hotter  materials  to  use. 
It  is  curtains  of  fire,  poisonous  gases,  shrapnel,  bombs, 
machine  guns,  and  mud  mixed  with  blood. 

War  begins  in  selfish  desire,  and  continues  in  the  mis¬ 
use  of  God’s  good  gifts.  Intensified  desire  diverts  to 
its  own  use  that  which  does  not  belong  to  it;  and  be¬ 
coming  powerful,  arrogant,  and  oppressive,  it  brews  hell 
without  knowing  it.  Thinking  that  it  knows  all,  it  re¬ 
fuses  instruction.  To  the  perverted  mind,  imprisoned 
in  a  distorted  body,  Jesus  looks  weak,  while  God  seems 
a  myth,  or  mere  brute  force.  Finally  hell  breaks  loose 
in  all  its  fury. 

The  most  pathetic  thing  in  this  whole  affair  is  that  the 
good  have  to  go  to  hell  with  the  bad, —  at  least  in  this 
life.  But  it  was  ever  so.  Jesus  truly  “  descended  into 


100 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


hell,”  only  it  was  before  He  died.  The  same  is  true  of 
God  and  all  His  good  sons.  There  is  no  other  way  to 
save  the  situation.  Gehenna,  as  well  as  heaven,  begins 
here  and  now.  It  may  be  that  the  rebellious  sons  of  God 
have  created  a  worse  hell  on  the  other  side  of  the  grave, 
but  if  they  have,  it  is  exactly  the  same  in  kind  as  that 
which  they  have  made  here.  Every  immoral  and  pain¬ 
ful  condition  in  the  universe  is  wrought  in  God.  God 
was  as  closely  related  to  the  recent  war  as  a  man  is  re¬ 
lated  to  the  abscess  on  his  finger;  and  He  is  so  related 
to  all  hells,  in  all  worlds.  For  hell  is  never  anything 
but  a  painful  disturbance  wrought  in  God’s  body  by  the 
sons  whom  He  has  enfolded  in  His  bosom.  And  since 
there  are  so  many  discordant  and  vicious  elements 
throughout  all  the  world,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  nations 
are  being  purged  by  the  awful  fires  through  which  they 
are  passing. 

Has  the  earth  had  its  last  war?  That  is  not  at  all 
likely.  There  is  plenty  of  discord  in  society  even  now 
that  the  main  war  is  over.  Many  wrongs  must  be  righted 
and  many  problems  solved  or  terror  will  break  out  some¬ 
where.  Human  society  and  human  institutions  have 
grown  about  as  large  and  complex  as  is  possible,  unless 
they  can  be  dominated  by  a  larger  ideal  and  a  more 
Christlike  spirit.  While  I  sympathize  with  all  the  hopes 
and  aspirations  of  the  noble  men  and  women  of  our  day 
for  a  more  peaceful  earth,  yet  I  do  so  only  on  the  con¬ 
dition  that  men  will  learn  to  know  and  obey  the  truth. 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


IOI 


Nothing  should  be  left  undone  that  will  hasten  the  day 
of  righteousness  and  peace. 

God  has  two  hands  with  which  He  is  trying  to  save 
the  world.  The  one  is  a  crucified  hand,  and  the  other 
is  a  great  steel  hand.  The  crucified  hand,  which  is  the 
pledge  of  forgiveness  and  good  will,  is  both  logically 
and  chronologically  first.  For  nearly  two  thousand  years 
God  has  been  extending  this  hand.  Millions  have  ac¬ 
cepted  it  and  lived;  but  many  more  have  refused  it,  pre¬ 
ferring  the  strife  of  the  world.  It  is  perfectly  plain  that 
society  will  not  be  saved  by  this  means  alone.  Without 
minimizing  the  worth  of  the  crucified  hand,  or  withdraw¬ 
ing  it,  God  is  at  last  employing  a  hand  of  steel,  as  vast 
as  the  machinery  of  the  world,  and  identical  with  it. 
God  is  placing  His  great  steel  fingers  around  men  and 
drawing  them  together.  No  longer  may  men  live  apart, 
for  under  this  new  pressure  nothing  has  value  in  isolation. 
Capital  has  no  value  without  labor,  neither  has  labor  any 
value  without  capital;  and  these  may  no  longer  work 
successfully  together  without  uplifting  the  weak  nations 
of  the  earth.  The  masses  and  classes  can  no  longer  es¬ 
cape  each  other.  Bound  together  by  bands  of  steel,  they 
may  do  one  of  two  things  —  kill  each  other  or  love  one 
another.  There  is  no  third  alternative.  I  have  faith  that 
when  men  see  themselves  in  the  grip  of  the  steel  hand, 
they  will  choose  the  better  alternative  and,  by  clasping 
God’s  crucified  hand,  become  brothers.  As  things  have 
been  going,  scores  of  peoples  on  our  lktle  earth  have 


102 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


lived  in  darkness  and  under  the  hand  of  awful  oppres¬ 
sion;  they  could  have  suffered  and  rotted  for  millenniums 
without  the  prosperous  nations  knowing  or  caring.  At 
last,  however,  we  know,  and  our  own  salvation  now 
clearly  rests  on  our  caring.  The  articulate  body  of  hu¬ 
manity  has  become  as  great  as  the  nations  of  the  earth, 
and  that  body  is  made  up  of  the  infinite  energies  of  God. 
We  now  have  the  privilege  of  making  this  mighty  body 
express  more  fully  than  ever  before  the  thought  and  love 
of  God,  or  else  we  shall  be  compelled  to  shape  it  into 
the  most  gigantic  monster  that  ever  stalked  forth  to  do 
the  foul  deeds  of  hell.  Were  there  a  legion  of  leering 
and  jeering  devils,  plotting  evil  against  our  earth,  the 
comprehending  mind  could  hear  them  say,  “We  wish  for 
no  more  awful  instruments  of  torture  than  these  energies 
of  the  Infinite  with  which  His  children  clothe  themselves. 
Only  let  us  lead  them  to  fall  out  by  the  way,  and  they 
will  damn  each  other  by  smiting  with  the  infinite  powers 
of  their  God.”  Men, —  individuals  and  nations !  —  do 
we  see  it,  do  we  know  the  simple  rudiments  of  life,  is  it 
not  clearly  manifest  that  we  must  strive  for  the  Christ 
life  or  socially  commit  suicide  and  murder? 

Men  have  made  such  great  mental  and  material  growth 
that  unlimited  power  is  placed  at  their  disposal.  That 
fact  makes  this  the  greatest  day  in  human  history.  I 
have  already  said  that  the  man  soul  is  in  quest  of  omni¬ 
presence  -by  progressively  making  the  universe  the  instru¬ 
ment  of  his  will.  The  hour  has  struck  for  his  supreme 
effort  in  that  direction;  though  simply  creeping  in  the 


DOES  MAN  HAVE  A  SOUL? 


103 


past,  he  may  now  run  if  only  he  will  obey  the  divine  law. 
However,  if  he  will  not  obey,  the  hour  for  disintegration 
has  arrived;  and  once  more  nations  and  empires  must 
burn  to  the  ground,  and  upon  the  ashes  of  the  conflagra¬ 
tion,  the  noble  “  remnant  ”  must  again  begin  to  rebuild 
slowly  and  painfully  the  temple  of  God  on  earth. 

If  our  old  men  are  dreaming  dreams,  and  our  young 
men  are  seeing  visions,  let  them  come  forth  in  this  crisis. 
But  thank  God,  they  are  coming!  Millions  are  coming! 
We  believe  there  will  be  enough  to  save  the  day.  And 
what  a  day  it  will  be  if,  after  all  this  dreadful  upheaval, 
we  can  reconstruct  the  world  on  such  broad  principles  of 
righteousness  and  love  that  the  race  shall  start  upon  a 
new  era  of  peace  and  good  will!  We  must  not  on  ac¬ 
count  of  ignorance  or  selfishness  throw  away  this  golden 
opportunity. 

Get  ye  up  upon  the  mountains,  O  Israel,  O  Church 
of  God,  and  look  for  the  day! 


CHAPTER  IV 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY,  AND  COULD  HE  BECOME 

A  MAN? 

Was  Jesus  God  or  a  good  man  only? 

Can  modern  psychology  any  longer  believe  in  the  Deity  of 
Jesus? 

Where  does  Jesus  belong  in  the  religious ,  social ,  and  thought 
world? 

i.  Introductory  statement 

Thus  far  our  discussion  of  God  has  been  largely  in  re¬ 
lation  to  physics.  At  last,  however,  we  are  ready  to 
consider  Him  on  a  higher  plane. 

Our  knowledge  of  both  God  and  man  is  incomplete 
until  we  see  their  oneness  in  Jesus  and  in  the  kingdom 
which  Jesus  proclaimed.  In  the  life  of  Jesus,  God  and 
man  are  viewed  from  a  higher  spiritual  level.  The  world 
lies  broken  into  fragments  until  these  fragments  become 
united  in  the  Christ  type  of  life.  Then  the  body,  the 
human  mind,  God,  and  the  whole  material  universe  co¬ 
ordinate  to  make  one  beautiful  whole. 

Starting  with  the  Scriptural  idea  that  all  things  pro¬ 
ceed  from  Wisdom,  or  God,  then  strictly  speaking,  God 

is  the  only  person  in  the  universe  who  has  a  body  of  His 

104 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


i°5 

own.  All  other  spirits  live  in  His  bodies.  This  is  neces¬ 
sarily  so  if  all  the  way  from  its  simplest  elements  to  its  most 
highly  organized  forms,  nature  is  but  the  expression  of  the 
divine  Will.  As  we  have  already  shown,  the  human  body 
is  but  a  part  of  universal  nature, —  the  finest  part,  the 
blossom.  Therefore,  what  we  call  the  human  organism 
is  primarily  God’s.  Not  only  is  it  the  very  finest  bit 
of  His  workmanship ,  but  it  is  His  to  use ,  unless  His  child, 
the  man  soul,  robs  Him  of  His  own.  In  these  highly 
specialized  parts  of  nature  God  has  not  merely  one,  but 
billions  of  bodies, —  all  the  bodies  there  are.  The  In¬ 
finite  Mind  would  find  one  such  body  utterly  inadequate. 
With  but  one  bodily  form  He  would  be  incomparably 
worse  off  than  an  organist  with  but  one  finger.  If  God 
could  come  to  articulate  speech  and  deed  through  but  one 
physical  instrument,  Ele  and  all  His  family  might  well 
despair.  If  as  the  Scriptures  teach,  however,  each  and 
every  physical  body  is  His  very  own,  in  which  and 
through  which  He  may  live,  then  every  condition  is  pro¬ 
vided  for  a  God  humanly  personal  and  infinitely  satisfy¬ 
ing.  He  may  be  as  local  and  personal  as  our  parents  or 
neighbors.  Though  greater  than  all,  He  is  yet  in  all  and 
through  all, 

“  Center  and  soul  of  every  sphere, 

Yet  to  each  loving  heart  how  near !  ” 

Not  only  is  God  lovingly  present  to  every  Christian 
heart,  but  at  the  same  time  He  is  personally  revealed  by 
every  human  form  through  which  He  is  permitted  to  live 


106  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

and  love  and  serve.  The  pity  of  it  all  is  that  we  so  often 
prevent  God  from  using  His  own  body,  in  which  we  too 
live,  by  causing  it  to  express  in  word  and  deed  that  which 
is  contrary  to  His  thought  and  love. 

Before  we  take  up  the  subject  of  the  Incarnation,  it 
may  be  well  to  consider  what  is  meant  by  the  trinity. 

2.  The  idea  of  the  trinity  and  how  it  came  about 

When  we  say  that  God  is  a  trinity  we  do  not  mean  that 
there  are  three  Gods.  There  is  just  one  God  who,  as  we 
have  repeatedly  said,  is  a  Loving  Intelligent  Will. 

The  idea  of  the  trinity  came  about  in  this  way : 

The  early  Christians  were  so  deeply  impressed  by  Jesus, 
and  so  warmly  attached  to  their  Master,  that  they  in¬ 
stinctively  adored  and  worshiped  Him;  for,  somehow, 
He  brought  God  to  them  even  as  He  brought  them  to  God. 
Yet  the  Christians,  like  the  Jews,  strenuously  opposed  the 
worship  of  more  than  one  Divinity.  Their  stout  opposi¬ 
tion  to  Polytheism  provoked  the  retort  from  their  heathen 
neighbors  that  Christians  should  not  be  so  particular  about 
the  number  of  Gods,  because  they  worshiped  at  least  two, 
a  Father  God  and  a  Son  God, —  and  three,  if  they  added  a 
Holy  Spirit  God.  So  it  is  not  strange  that  the  Christians, 
to  justify  their  own  conduct,  were  driven  to  a  profound 
study  of  Deity.  And  though  they  made  some  grave  mis¬ 
takes,  nevertheless  they  discovered  some  vital  truths  con¬ 
cerning  the  nature  of  personality  which  greatly  enlarged 
and  enriched  their  conception  of  God.  It  must  be  re-^ 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


107 


membered  that  in  the  early  Christian  centuries  many 
thought  of  God  as  something  very  remote  and  placid,  like 
a  sea  of  bliss;  being  infinitely  happy  and  self-contained, 
He  was  at  perfect  rest.  Such  a  One  would  not  contam¬ 
inate  Himself  by  being  identified  with  nature  or  man. 
To  the  Christian  Gnostics  and  Jews,  the  idea  that  God 
became  incarnate  and  suffered  death  on  the  cross  was 
repugnant.  Some  believed  that  it  was  beneath  God  even 
to  create  a  world  like  ours.  They,  therefore,  attributed 
creation  to  lesser  divinities.  However,  in  the  third  cen¬ 
tury  Origen  stoutly  maintained  that  God  must  have  cre¬ 
ated  the  world.  Yet  so  eminent  a  man  as  Origen  believed 
that  He  created  it  for  “  tainted  souls.” 

After  much  study,  the  Church  Fathers  arrived  at  the 
conclusion  that  God  was  somehow  Three  in  One,  a  sort 
of  society  within  Himself, —  and  they  were  right.  For 
without  something  like  a  social  experience  in  one’s  self, 
it  is  impossible  to  be  a  person  at  all.  This  is  equally  true 
of  God  or  man.  To  be  a  person  one  must  know  himself, 
and  this  he  could  not  do  if  he  were  not  able  to  keep 
company  with  himself.  The  pen  with  which  I  am  writ¬ 
ing  is  not  a  person  because  it  has  no  capacity  for  self- 
communion.  But  because  I  hold  fellowship  with  myself 
I  am  a  person.  Since  every  human  being  keeps  company 
with  himself  more  than  he  does  with  all  other  persons 
put  together,  may  God  have  mercy  on  him  if  he  is  bad 
company,  if  he  is  not  safe  to  be  left  alone  with  himself. 
A  tree  may  stand  alone  in  infinite  solitude,  companionless; 
but  for  better,  for  worse,  a  man  must  forever  remain  in 


io8 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


% 


his  own  company,  hearing  praise  or  condemnation  from 
his  own  heart.  How  is  this  possible,  unless  there  is  some¬ 
thing  in  a  man’s  individual  experience  that  resembles  so¬ 
ciety?  In  self-knowledge,  as  in  all  knowledge,  there  are 
the  knower  and  the  knozvn.  When  we  commune  with 
ourselves  we  are,  at  the  same  moment,  the  subject  and  the 
object  of  our  own  experience.  The  self  that  sees  may 
fittingly  be  called  the  father  of  our  personality,  and  with 
equal  propriety  the  self  that  we  see  may  be  called  the  be¬ 
gotten  of  our  personality.  Thus  something  resembling 
father  and  son  is  experienced  in  our  first  step  toward 
self-knowledge.  Whether  the  capacity  to  be  our  own 
subject  and  object  amounts  to  much  or  little,  it  was 
this  that  the  Fathers  saw  and  rightly  attributed  to  God. 

Furthermore,  there  is  yet  another  step  to  be  taken  in 
the  act  of  coming  to  true  self-knowledge.  By  what 
power  does  one  determine  that  the  person  with  whom  he 
communes  is  himself?  There  is  something  in  our  ex¬ 
perience  resembling  a  third  person,  one  who  recognizes 
both  subject  and  object  and  bears  witness  that  they  are 
one.  The  reader  may  say,  “  I  can  see  the  first  and  the 
second,  but  I  cannot  see  the  third.”  The  self  that  sees 
the  first  and  the  second  is  the  third.  This  power  by 
which  we  complete  the  unity  of  our  being  is  by  no  means 
trivial,  as  some  may  think.  There  are  abnormal  person¬ 
alities  who  successfully  achieve  the  subjective  and  objec¬ 
tive  in  their  experience  and  keep  up  an  abnormal  com¬ 
munion  with  themselves  from  morning  till  night,  who 
cannot  witness  true.  So  they  insist  that  they  are 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY?  109 

“  General  Jacksons  ”  or  “  Jesus  Christs  ”  or  great  “  rail¬ 
road  magnates.”  Their  personalities  have  broken  down, 
not  because  they  lack  self-consciousness,  but  because  they 
lack  the  power  of  coming  to  unity.  A  perfectly  sane  per¬ 
son,  therefore,  is  subject,  object,  and  witnesser  all  in  one. 
If  God  were  not  this  kind  of  trinity  He  would  not  be  a 
person  at  all. 

To  grasp  so  clearly  the  significance  of  personality  was 
a  great  spiritual  achievement.  The  Church  Fathers  did 
more  than  they  realized;  they  described  the  elements  in¬ 
herent  in  all  personalities.  They  saved  God  to  the  in¬ 
tellect  and  to  the  affections  by  bringing  Him  out  of  re¬ 
mote  obscurity  into  the  blazing  light  of  moral  and  spirit¬ 
ual  personality.  God  is  personal  because  He  is  triune; 
that  is,  because  He  is  complex  enough  to  keep  company 
with  Himself  and  to  know  Himself.  If  the  reader  asks 
“  What  does  all  this  amount  to  for  us?  ”  my  answer  is, 
“  It  amounts  to  the  difference  between  a  personal  God 
and  the  deity  who  is  an  ‘  immobile  placid  sea  of  bliss/ 
In  the  second  place  it  shows  the  difference  between  the 
God  who  is  a  Loving  Intelligent  Will  and  the  material¬ 
ist’s  god  who  is  no  more  than  a  blind  Samson.  It  also 
discloses  the  essential  likeness  between  all  personalities, 
however  much  they  may  differ  in  development.” 

If  I  were  asked  to  put  my  finger  on  the  greatest  weak¬ 
ness  in  present-day  thought  I  should  unhesitatingly  point 
out  the  subject  of  personality.  Men  are  falling  down  like 
ten-pins  before  the  intellectual  difficulties  of  believing  in 
a  personal  God;  and  many  of  them  are  even  doubting  the 


I  IO 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


spiritual  personality  of  man.  And  this  is  largely  due 
to  the  fact  that  they  are  unable  to  form  any  mental  pic¬ 
ture  of  personality.  One  of  the  beautiful  surprises  for 
this  generation  is  that  the  Fathers  in  working  out  the 
personality  of  God  found  the  only  conception  of  person¬ 
ality  that  is  true  to  universal  experience.  They  did  not 
realize  that  they  were  analyzing  the  human  spirit  as  well 
as  God,  because  their  thought  was  wholly  on  Him.  But 
they  saw  God  through  their  own  personalities,  and  if  they 
had  not  borne  God’s  image  they  never  could  have 
analyzed  the  personality  of  God.  In  this  generation  we 
turn  their  analysis  of  God  upon  ourselves  and  find  that  it 
tallies  perfectly  with  our  experience.  We  at  last  see  that 
the  triune,  or  personal,  man  soul  is  the  child  of  the  triune, 
or  personal,  God  Soul;  and  thus  a  deeper  bond  is  estab¬ 
lished  between  the  Father  and  His  child. 

The  use  to  which  the  Church  Fathers  put  this  analysis 
of  God’s  personality  was  both  fortunate  and  unfortunate. 
It  was  fortunate  because  it  enabled  them  to  continue  their 
belief  in  the  deity  of  Jesus  and,  at  the  same  time,  their 
belief  in  the  oneness  of  God.  They  were  still  able  to 
oppose  polytheism,  and  yet  come  to  Jesus  as  the  fountain 
of  divine  blessing.  They  worshiped  God  in  the  face  of 
Jesus.  In  other  words,  they  believed  in  a  genuine  In¬ 
carnation.  This  was  fortunate  beyond  all  calculation. 
Just  how  fortunate  it  was  we  shall  have  to  illustrate  to 
the  best  of  our  ability  when  we  come  to  the  subject  of 
Incarnation.  Thus  far  I  have  not  discussed  the  Incar¬ 
nation,  neither  have  I  had  Jesus  in  mind  while  consider- 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


hi 


ing  the  trinity.  For  in  whatever  sense  God  is  a  trinity, 
He  was  such  before  Jesus  was  born. 

Before  discussing  the  divinity  of  Jesus  we  must 
briefly  call  attention  to  the  unfortunate  use  which  the 
Fathers  made  of  their  analysis  of  the  personality  of 
God.  They  thought  they  had  solved  the  question  of 
Christ’s  divinity  when  they  took  this  objective  element  in 
the  experience  of  God  and  clothed  it  with  flesh.  Though 
they  denied  that  these  distinctions  in  God  were  properly 
named  by  the  word  person,  yet  they  admitted  their  in¬ 
ability  to  think  of  a  better  term.  Then  they  so 
wrenched  God’s  personality  apart  as  to  send  His  ob¬ 
jective  self,  which  was  simply  an  element  in  His  experi¬ 
ence  of  self-consciousness,  into  the  world  to  be  the  Mes¬ 
siah.  And  though  they  stoutly  maintained  that  these 
three  elements  in  God  were  indivisible,  yet  God’s  subjec¬ 
tive  self  could  stay  far  away  in  heaven  while  His  ob¬ 
jective  self  could  go  to  earth  as  a  man.  At  the  same 
time  each  of  the  three  elements  in  God’s  experience  of  self¬ 
hood  could  perform  all  the  functions  of  a  full  personal¬ 
ity.  This  was  doing  the  worst  possible  violence  to  the 
personality  of  God;  and  it  has  wrought  confusion  from 
that  day  to  this.  As  we  have  already  seen,  it  takes  these 
three  elements  in  God’s  experience  to  make  Him  any  per¬ 
son  at  all.  The  common  use  made  of  the  subjective,  ob¬ 
jective,  and  witnessing  elements  in  the  personality  of  God 
is  pure  Tri-Theism,  regardless  of  how  they  are  united. 
God  does  not  have  three  personalities  that  can  be  scattered 
about  in  the  universe. 


1 12 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


The  idea  that  God’s  objective  experience  can  go  off  on 
a  journey,  or  that  it  can  return  to  heaven  while  His  wit¬ 
nessing  experience  in  turn  goes  to  earth,  leaving  the  sub¬ 
jective  and  objective  in  heaven,  is  religious  illiteracy. 
Neither  God  nor  any  part  of  God  ever  goes  or  comes. 
The  triune,  or  personal  God,  is  never  far  enough  off  to 
come  anywhere.  There  is  no  place  in  the  universe  where 
for  a  moment  He  is  not.  He  is  always  the  Father,  and 
Creator,  and  Intelligent  Will  in  whom  all  creation  lives, 
and  moves,  and  has  its  being.  The  second  element  in 
God’s  own  act  of  consciousness  did  not  become  incarnate 
in  Jesus;  the  conscious  God  Himself  entered  the  life  of 
man. 

The  baptismal  formula,  “  In  the  name  of  God  the 
Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,”  has  no  reference  to 
the  triple  element  in  God’s  self-consciousness.  It  beauti¬ 
fully  represents  the  three  ways  that  we  are  to  look  at  God, 
if  we  are  to  see  Him  in  the  fulness  of  His  glory.  First, 
we  think  of  God  as  He  is  in  Himself,  and  as  He  must 
be  to  His  own  infinite  thought.  Second,  we  think  of 
Him  as  He  has  expressed  Himself  in  nature,  in  humanity 
and,  best  of  all,  as  He  has  revealed  Himself  in  His 
obedient  Son  Jesus.  Third,  we  think  of  God  as  the  still 
small  voice  within,  the  Soul  of  our  souls,  the  One  to 
whom  we  speak  when  we  have  shut  the  door;  the  one 
to  whom  we  whisper  our  deepest  secrets,  and  ask  Him 
if  He  loves  and  forgives  us.  Beyond  the  fact  that  the 
trinity  constitutes  God  a  person,  it  has  nothing  to  do 
with  the  deity  of  Jesus.  How  God  became  incarnate 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


ii3 

is  another  question;  a  question  to  which  we  now  gladly 
address  ourselves. 

3.  Was  Jesus  God  or  a  good  man  only? 

At  a  meeting  of  city  ministers,  addressed  by  one  of 
their  own  number,  the  speaker  took  from  Jesus  the  last 
shred  of  divinity.  According  to  this  minister,  Jesus 
was  a  prophet  sent  from  God,  and  the  best  of  men,  but 
nothing  more.  A  progressive  Jewish  rabbi  asked  if  this 
were  not  the  present  attitude  of  all  intelligent  ministers, 
and  whether  they  did  not,  for  the  sake  of  expediency, 
leave  the  pew  in  ignorance  of  their  real  belief.  In  the 
opinion  of  the  rabbi,  Jesus  was  one  of  the  greatest  of 
Jewish  reformers,  but  not  the  founder  of  Christian  reli¬ 
gion.  His  contention  was  that  Paul  founded  the  Chris¬ 
tian  Church  on  a  peculiar,  psychic  experience  which  came 
to  him  on  his  way  to  Damascus. 

“  The  Divinity  of  Jesus  ”  was  then  assigned  to  me  as 
a  topic  for  the  next  meeting.  Naturally,  I  turned  to  the 
Scriptures  to  see  what  they  had  to  say  concerning  the  re¬ 
lation  of  God  to  man.  Though  expecting  to  find  on  this 
subject  a  marked  degree  of  difference  between  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments,  yet  I  was  wholly  unprepared  for 
the  facts  as  they  appeared.  Before  presenting  my  find¬ 
ings,  I  asked  the  rabbi  to  consider  whether  Jesus  was  a 
“  Jewish  reformer/’  or  a  Jewish  fulfiller, —  it  being  my 
conviction  that  He  was  the  latter.  I  then  stated  that, 
having  examined  the  Old  Testament  on  the  relation  exist- 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


114 

ing  between  God  and  man,  I  failed  to  find  a  single  pas¬ 
sage  recognizing  God  within  the  human  life;  and  that  no 
greater  surprise  than  this  had  come  to  me  in  my  recent 
study  of  the  Scriptures.  In  the  Old  Testament,  the 
nearest  approach  to  the  immanence  of  God  in  the  soul  was 
the  following: 

“  I  will  pour  out  my  spirit  upon  all  flesh,”  and  “  Is  not 
rny  dwelling  with  the  humble  in  heart?  ”  But  even  here 
the  divine  Spirit  was  only  upon  them  or  with  them. 
Never,  so  far  as  I  could  discover,  did  He  dwell  in  them. 
In  some  twenty-four  hundred  verses,  God  was  rep¬ 
resented  as  sustaining  many  beautiful  and  terrible  rela¬ 
tions  to  men.  This  relationship  was  symbolized  by  birds, 
beasts,  and  natural  elements,  to  the  very  limit  of  the 
imagination.  After  the  most  solemn  warnings  and  at¬ 
tractive  promises,  God  would  depart  from  His  people 
for  a  season  and  then  return  with  rewards  and  punish¬ 
ments  according  to  their  faithfulness.  He  scrutinized 
their  inmost  thoughts;  in  fact,  He  did  everything  except 
enter  their  lives. 

On  turning  to  the  New  Testament,  however,  I  found 
a  startling  contrast.  God  dwelt  not  only  in  the  hearts 
but  in  the  bodies  of  men.  “  For  know  ye  not  that  ye 
are  the  temple  of  God,  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth 
in  you?  Yea,  ye  are  the  temple  of  the  living  God.” 
“  Know  ye  not  that  your  bodies  are  temples  of  the  Holy 
Spirit?”  “Walk  in  the  Spirit  and  ye  shall  not  fulfill 
the  lusts  of  the  flesh.”  Jesus  said,  “  He  that  hath  seen 
me  hath  seen  the  Father;  how  sayest  thou,  show  us  the 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


1 1 5' 

Father?  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the  Father, 
and  the  Father  in  me?”  “The  Father  abiding  in  me 
doeth  His  works.”  “  In  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I 
am  in  the  Father  and  ye  in  me,  and  I  in  you.”  “  If  a 
man  love  me  he  will  keep  my  word:  and  my  Father  will 
love  him,  and  we  will  come  unto  him,  and  make  our 
abode  with  him.” 

As  a  prospector  seeks  for  gold,  I  sought  in  the  Old 
Testament  for  God  in  the  life  of  man  and  did  not  find 
Him;  but  no  sooner  had  I  reached  the  New  Testament 
than  all  was  changed.  Here  was  a  new  country.  The 
prospector  was  in  the  midst  of  that  for  which  he  sought. 
No  mountain  was  ever  as  rich  in  gold  as  the  human 
heart,  according  to  the  New  Testament,  was  rich  with 
the  indwelling  God. 

The  religion  of  Jesus  in  contrast  with  that  of  the 
prophets  is  like  a  tree,  which  Luther  Burbank  has  trans¬ 
formed  into  a  new  variety  bearing  strange  and  luscious 
fruit.  I  wondered  that  I  had  overlooked  for  so  long  a 
time  the  complete  cleavage  between  the  two  parts  of  our 
Bible  on  this  subject.  Jesus  was  truly  a  Jewish  re¬ 
former,  but  to  a  much  greater  degree  He  was  a  Jewish 
fulfiller.  In  revealing  God’s  true  oneness  with  man  He 
completed  the  prophet’s  imperfect  religious  vision,  and 
best  of  all,  made  the  vision  a  fact  in  His  own  experience. 
At  the  same  time  He  began  making  it  a  reality  in  the 
experience  of  His  disciples. 

I  told  the  friend  who  in  a  previous  meeting  had 
stripped  Jesus  of  all  His  divinity,  that  he  had  very  sue- 


n6  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

cess  fully  demolished  some  antiquated  psychology,  but 
strange  to  say  had  completely  overlooked  the  new  psy¬ 
chology  which,  in  my  opinion,  fully  restored  Christ’s 
divinity.  As  to  his  statement  that  “  Jesus  was  a  good 
man  only,”  I  reminded  him  that  there  is  no  such  being. 
For,  each  one  of  us,  in  so  far  as  he  is  “  only,”  is  a  bad 
man.  It  requires  the  oneness  of  God  and  man  to  make  a 
good  man.  When  a  human  soul  is  separated  from  God, 
he  ceases  to  be  a  complete  person.  God  and  the  true 
self  always  come  or  go  together;  in  order  to  be  a  human 
soul,  in  any  worthy  sense,  one  must  be  both  God  and 
man  in  one.  A  man  severed  from  God  is  but  the  frag¬ 
ment  of  a  man,  a  limb  broken  from  the  tree,  a  lifeless 
branch.  To  touch  the  living  branch  of  a  tree  is  to  touch 
the  tree.  The  fruit  of  the  branch  is  likewise  the  fruit 
of  the  tree.  That  any  person  can  be  a  “  good  man  only,” 
is  an  idea  contrary  to  the  New  Testament  and  modern 
psychology. 

4.  Can  modern  psychology  any  longer  believe  in  the 

Deity  of  Jesus? 

The  Scriptures  certainly  do  not  teach  that  Jesus  was 
God  only;  neither  do  they  teach  that  He  was  man  only. 
It  is  my  own  deepest  conviction  that  Jesus  was  very 
God  and  very  man.  Furthermore,  I  believe  this  to  be  the 
teaching  of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  idea  that  best  con¬ 
forms  to  modern  psychology.  To  come  to  Jesus  is  to 
come  to  God;  likewise  to  come  to  God  is  to  come  to 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


ii  7 

Jesus.  He  is  at  once  God  in  man,  and  man  in  God.  I 
believe  in  the  God  of  Jesus,  and  I  believe  in  the  Jesus 
of  God.  How  modern  psychology  can  avoid  believing 
in  both  the  deity  and  humanity  of  Jesus,  I  do  not  see. 
Some  who  believe  in  Christ’s  divinity  do  not  believe  in 
His  deity.  They  say,  “Yes,  He  is  divine,  He  is  in 
comparable,  He  is  altogether  lovely ;  but  He  is  not  Deity, 
because  Deity  is  God  Himself.”  But  my  thesis  is  that 
Jesus  was  “  very  God  and  very  man.” 

To  picture  this  truth  to  our  minds  will  be  our  next 
task.  An  old-time  friend,  while  reporting  to  me  the 
installation  of  a  minister  whom  I  knew,  said : 

“Would  you  believe  it!  Mr.  G.  told  the  council  that 
he  not  only  believed  in  the  divinity,  but  that  he  believed 
in  the  Deity  of  Jesus.”  Here  my  friend  threw  his  head 
back  and  laughed  heartily,  expecting  me  to  laugh  with 
him.  When  he  had  finished  laughing,  I  told  him  that  I 
also  believed  in  the  deity  as  well  as  in  the  humanity  of 
Jesus;  and  that  if  I  did  not  believe  in  His  deity  I  did  not 
think  I  should  believe  in  any  religion  at  all.  This  proved 
to  be  quite  a  surprise  to  my  friend.  So  to  his  puzzled 
look  of  inquiry  I  replied  : 

“  And  I  could  make  you  believe  it.”  As  his  curiosity 
deepened  at  this  remark,  I  asked  him, 

“  Do  you  know  where  I  first  met  God  —  not  an  ema¬ 
nation  from  Him,  but  God;  the  Will  that  formed  the 
worlds, —  all  the  God  there  is?”  “No,”  was  his  reply. 
“  Fortunately,”  I  answered,  “  I  do.  It  was  in  my 
mother.  When  I  was  a  little  boy  the  great  God  at  times 


1 18  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

enfolded  me  in  human  arms,  and  looked  into  my  face 
through  benignant,  human  eyes,  and  spoke  tender  words 
with  a  sweet  accent.  My  silent  and  invisible  mother  was 
often  so  closely  identified  with  God  that  they  would  be 
thinking  and  feeling  the  same  thing  concerning  me.  At 
such  times  the  human  form  expressed  their  common 
thought  and  love;  my  heavenly  Father,  no  less  than  my 
invisible  mother,  enfolded  me  with  His  arms.  If  in 
these  supreme  moments  God  was  not  in  my  mother,  then 
it  is  useless  to  look  for  Him  anywhere  in  the  Universe. 
My  mother  was  different  from  the  non-Christian  mothers 
in  our  rough  frontier.  Many  times  she  so  loved  me  in 
God,  and  with  God,  that  she  became  a  channel  through 
which  God  Himself  had  personal  access  to  me  through 
all  the  human  modes  of  approach.” 

I  then  told  my  friend  of  an  experience  with  my  mother 
at  church  in  the  little  frontier  schoolhouse.  I  was 
lying  on  the  seat  with  my  head  in  her  lap,  tickling  my 
nose  with  her  boa.  When  the  time  came  for  prayers, 
my  mother  bowed  her  head  to  the  desk  in  front  of  her. 
While  her  lips  moved  in  prayer,  I  observed  that  her  dear 
face  was  troubled.  As  she  was  unconscious  of  my  gaze, 
I  continued  to  look  into  her  sorrowful  face.  Though 
but  a  little  child,  I  fully  understood  what  she  was  doing, 
and  was  able  to  mark  the  stages  of  her  progress.  My 
invisible  mother  was  talking  with  our  invisible  Father, 
and  the  face  gradually  changed  until  finally  I  could  tell 
that  her  will  had  merged  completely  with  His  will;  and 
then  her  face,  which  was  primarily  His  face,  became 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


119 

radiant  with  spiritual  beauty.  I  had  seen  the  dear  human 
face  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  it  was  the  face  of  my 
mother. 

I  called  my  friend’s  attention  to  the  fact  that  once 
upon  a  time  the  invisible  God  said  to  the  invisible  Clara 
Barton : 

“  Clara,  let  us  go  out  onto  the  battle-field  where  the 
poor  soldier  boys  languish  and  die;”  and  Clara  re¬ 
sponded  to  His  thought  and  love.  Then  the  invisible 
God  and  the  invisible  Clara  Barton  went  to  the  battle¬ 
field  in  God’s  body,  because  Clara  had  no  body  exclusively 
her  own.  So,  when  that  form  bending  over  the  soldier 
boy  wiped  away  the  dust  and  blood  and  pain,  while 
whispering  of  home,  of  mother,  and  of  God,  it  was  the 
Father,  as  much  as  it  was  Clara  Barton,  who  was  per¬ 
forming  the  deed ;  and  He,  not  less  than  she,  was  visibly 
and  humanly  present.  The  ministering  hand  was  as 
truly  His  instrument  as  it  was  hers;  while  the  stronger 
will  and  deeper  love  were  the  Father’s.  Before  Clara 
Barton  thought  of  it,  the  Father,  knowing  all  and  feel¬ 
ing  all,  suggested  to  her  the  kindly  deed ;  nor  did  He  stop 
loving  the  soldier  boy  when  she  began. 

Again  addressing  my  friend,  I  said : 

“  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  understand  you.  You  have 
always  believed  God  to  be  immanent  in  all  nature;  you 
have  seen  Him  in  sticks  and  stones  and  stars;  but  you 
now  fail  to  recognize  Him  in  His  highest,  His  only  in¬ 
strument  through  which  He  is  capable  of  coming  to 
articulate  speech  and  deed.  How  I  pity  your  poor  help- 


120 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


less  God  who  is  buried  fathoms  and  fathoms  out  of  sight. 
He  can  neither  see,  nor  hear,  nor  breathe;  nor  can  He 
walk  or  talk.  But  you  see,  my  God  can  get  clear  to  the 
surface  in  audible  word,  and  visible  deed.  When  my 
God  finds  a  good,  clean  Frenchman,  He  begins  talking 
and  writing  French.  If  you  doubt  this,  either  you  are 
not  familiar  with  French  literature,  or  else  you  do  not 
know  God.  Under  similar  conditions  God  speaks  all 
the  languages.  How  beautifully  and  abundantly  He  has 
spoken  through  the  German  and  English  tongues ! 
While  in  Greek  and  Hebrew,  God  has  uttered  mighty 
words  of  wisdom,  and  has  filled  the  earth  with  His 
glorious  paeans.  Human  wisdom  alone  could  never  have 
spoken  thus.  If  we  but  have  eyes  to  see  and  hearts  to 
feel  we  shall  realize  that  all  about  us  God  is  getting  to  the 
surface  through  devoted  Christians.  When  the  true 
preacher  lifts  the  souls  before  him  into  the  will  of  God, 
he  sees  a  divine  expression  upon  their  faces;  and  if  he 
is  spiritually  wise,  he  will  realize  that  for  the  time  being 
these  are  the  dear  human  instruments  of  God,  as  truly 
as  they  are  the  faces  of  human  spirits;  and  when  he  has 
poured  out  his  soul  in  behalf  of  some  great  cause  of  God 
for  which  he  would  be  willing  to  die,  he  will  find  some¬ 
one  with  outstretched  hand  ready  to  meet  him  and  will¬ 
ing  to  cooperate,  if  need  be,  even  unto  death,  and  then  it 
is  his  privilege  to  know  that,  while  shaking  hands  with 
a  brother  spirit,  he  was  at  the  same  time  shaking  hands 
with  the  infinite  God.  In  these  rare  experiences  of  ours, 
the  invisible  God  no  less  than  the  invisible  man  has 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


121 


come  to  outward  expression,  and  this  He  would  always 
do,  if  our  wills  were  not  contrary  to  His  will.  Our 
feeble  and  infrequent  inspiration  is  but  intermittent  in¬ 
carnation,  while  full  incarnation  is  permanent  inspira¬ 
tion. 

“  Why,”  I  asked,  “  should  you  hesitate  to  think  of 
Jesus  as  God  and  man?  If  the  Father-Spirit  and  the 
child-spirit  were  thinking  and  willing  the  same  thing, 
which  one  came  to  expression  through  the  words  and  acts 
of  the  body?  If  A  and  B  were  lifting  an  object,  would  it 
be  truthful  to  say  that  A  was  lifting  it?  The  visible 
form  that  lived  and  taught  by  the  shores  of  Galilee  was 
as  truly  God  as  it  was  man,  unless  the  child-spirit  did 
not  know  and  do  the  Father-Spirit’s  will.  Sometimes  a 
whole  congregation  of  wills  express  themselves  joyfully 
and  forcefully  through  one  written  resolution.  God 
never  speaks  an  audible  word,  except  through  one  of 
His  bodies  in  which  He  has  enfolded  a  child-spirit. 
When,  however,  the  child-spirit  rebels  against  the  Father, 
and  causes  the  instrument  to  speak  or  act  vile  things,  the 
Father  is  dumb.  His  child  has  robbed  Him  of  His  body. 
We  have  grown  so  accustomed  to  this  form  of  robbery 
that  we  naturally  think  of  human  spirits  as  having  bodies 
all  their  own,  while  we  conceive  of  God  as  a  vague,  dis¬ 
embodied  influence.  We  speak  of  God  as  sending  men, 
forgetting  that  He  never  sends  a  man  anywhere  with¬ 
out  sending  him  in  His  own  body  and  accompanying  him 
with  His  own  spiritual  Presence.  And  that  which  the 
messenger  says  is  not  worth  hearing  if  it  fails  to  express 


122 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


the  Father’s  thought  and  will.  The  God  who,  through 
beautiful  chemical  energies,  makes  the  ear,  hears;  and  the 
God  who  makes  the  eye,  sees ;  and  He  who  makes  the 
lips,  speaks.  Either  God  knows  the  thrill  of  nerves,  or 
else  He  has  an  infinite  amount  to  learn.  Why  then  should 
we  say  that  Jesus  was  only  a  good  man,  when  the  body 
was  God’s  very  own,  and  the  guiding  will  was  that  of 
the  Father?  A  man  is  all  God  except  the  invisible  hu¬ 
man  spirit;  and  in  the  case  of  Jesus,  even  the  human  spirit 
rendered  such  filial  obedience  that  the  Father,  for  once 
in  human  history,  got  to  the  surface  through  His  own 
instrument  in  a  steady  flow  of  luminous  words  and  loving 
deeds.  If  the  composite  life  of  Jesus  were  named  after 
its  major  elements,  then  Jesus  should  be  called  God. 
However,  as  that  would  be  both  confusing  and  false,  we 
state  the  truth  as  it  is,  and  say  that  Jesus  was  both  God 
and  man,  that  is,  a  God-filled  man,  or  a  God-man.” 

“  Oh  well,”  said  my  friend,  “  if  you  mean  it  that 
way !  ” 

“  Did  I  not  tell  you,”  I  replied,  “  that  you  would  be¬ 
lieve  it?  The  trouble  with  you  is  that  you  forget  it. 
You  should  be  proclaiming  it  from  the  housetop  that  God 
has  got  clear  to  the  surface  in  human  form,  and  that 
men  have  clasped  His  hand,  and  heard  His  voice,  and  seen 
His  face.” 

In  the  life  of  Jesus,  religion  reached  a  new  and  distinct 
stage  of  development.  It  was  in  Him  that  the  essential 
oneness  of  Deity  and  humanity  first  became  clearly  mani¬ 
fest.  To  the  friends  of  Jesus,  God  was  no  longer  a 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


123 


disembodied  spirit.  The  Christian’s  God  is  clearly  the 
God  of  Israel,  but  He  is  the  God  of  Israel  become  human 
and  visible.  The  world  has  been  slow  to  grasp  the  mean¬ 
ing  of  Christ’s  life  and  teachings.  To  maintain  the 
uniqueness  of  Jesus,  it  has  denied  the  universality  of  the 
truth  which  He  proclaimed :  namely,  the  organic  and  moral 
oneness  of  God  and  man.  If  the  union  of  God  and  man 
as  realized  in  Jesus  was  so  beautiful,  a  similar  union  be¬ 
tween  God  and  all  men  would  be  equally  beautiful. 
That  God  desires  such  a  union  with  all  His  children  there 
can  be  no  doubt;  and  that  He  is  inspiring  His  disciples 
with  the  glorious  hope  of  its  accomplishment  is  equally 
certain.  Yet  for  the  present,  even  the  most  devoted  fol¬ 
lowers  have  not  nearly  attained  unto  the  fulness  of  the 
stature  of  Jesus;  but  some  glad  day  they  shall  be  wholly 
like  Him  whose  image  they  already  unmistakably  bear. 
This  is  the  Christian’s  noblest  hope. 

If  God  has  ever  united  His  personality  with  that  of 
even  one  man,  then  there  is  a  way  of  doing  it.  And  if 
there  is  a  way,  what  finer  goal  is  possible,  than  that  such 
a  union  between  God  and  every  man  be  consummated? 
Really,  that  is  what  the  Christian  Religion  is  about.  Not 
only  may  God  and  every  man  be  similarly  united,  but 
the  sin  of  man  alone  can  prevent  such  a  union  from 
taking  place.  If  there  were  no  sin  or  rebellion  in  a  man’s 
heart,  he  would  instantly  become  a  God-man  on  the  plane 
of  his  present  human  development;  and  as  he  “  Advanced 
in  wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favor  with  God  and  men,” 
he  would  be  a  God-man  on  a  higher  level.  If  the  human 


124 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


side  of  the  Christ  has  continued  thus  to  grow  for  more 
than  nineteen  hundred  years,  on  what  altitudes  of  knowl¬ 
edge  He  is  a  God-man  by  this  time,  we  can  but  faintly 
surmise.  And  with  the  possibility  of  a  complete  purging 
from  sin,  and  the  possibility  of  an  infinite  growth  in  wis¬ 
dom,  we,  too,  may  yet  be  God-men  on  what  would  now 
seem  to  us  dizzying  heights;  we  shall  ever  be  attaining 
“  Unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of  the  fulness  of 
Christ.”  No  matter  what  one’s  conception  of  the  trinity 
in  God’s  personality  may  be,  God  is  capable  of  uniting 
with  every  man  in  the  same  way  that  He  united  with 
the  man  Jesus.  If  we  prefer  to  believe  that  God  had  an 
Eternal  Son  who  came  to  clothe  himself  in  a  man,  the 
problem  of  union  would  in  nowise  be  changed.  A  Son- 
God,  if  He  existed  either  in  the  Father  or  out  of  the 
Father,  could  not  be  less  than  a  person,  and  the  manner 
of  uniting  Himself  with  a  man  would  be  the  same.  My 
interest  in  the  metaphysics  of  the  trinity  is  that  it  gives 
us  a  firm  grasp  on  the  personality  of  God  and  the  person¬ 
ality  of  man.  I  rest  on  the  fact  that  the  Personal  God 
became  incarnate  and  still  seeks  the  souls  of  men  for  his 
dwelling-place.  I  further  believe  that  when  we  do  not 
read  a  later  metaphysics  into  the  Bible,  the  Scriptures 
wholly  support  the  more  modern  conception.  In  the  be¬ 
ginning  was  the  Logos,  Word,  or  Wisdom.  Wisdom 
was  with  God  from  the  beginning;  that  is,  God  was  al¬ 
ways  Wisdom,  and  not  a  material  thing.  All  things 
were  made  by  Wisdom,  or  God.  Life  was  in  God,  and 
God’s  life  was  the  light  of  men;  and  though  it  was  shin- 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


125 


ing  into  the  darkness  the  darkness  apprehended  it  not. 
The  God  who  is  wisdom,  and  not  matter,  was  in  the 
world,  and  the  world  was  made  by  Him,  but  it  knew  Him 
not.  Finally  Wisdom,  or  God,  became  flesh,  and  taber¬ 
nacled  among  us,  and  we  discerned  His  glory,  a  glory  as 
of  an  only-begotten  with  a  father,  full  of  grace  and  truth. 
The  author  seems  to  me  to  believe  that  the  Personal  God 
became  incarnate,  and  that  the  one  in  whom  He  dwelt, 
in  contrast  with  other  men,  looked  like  an  only  son 
of  a  father. 

Notwithstanding  this  glorious  possibility,  there  is  al¬ 
ways  a  tendency  for  religion  to  revert  to  a  lower  type; 
and  this  tendency  is  particularly  noticeable  just  now. 
Not  being  able  to  believe  in  the  divinity  of  Jesus  accord¬ 
ing  to  the  old  metaphysics,  multitudes  are  ceasing  to  be¬ 
lieve  in  Him  as  Emmanuel, —  or  “  God  with  us.”  At 
a  time  like  this,  when  a  forward  movement  is  the  only 
hope  of  saving  our  great  material  structure  from  be¬ 
coming  another  Tower  of  Babel,  a  retrograde  move¬ 
ment  is  lamentable.  What  we  especially  need  is  a  new 
interpretation  of  Jesus,  followed  by  a  finer  devotion  to 
Him,  and  a  whole-hearted  commitment  of  ourselves  to 
His  ever-widening  program.  God  is  becoming  alto¬ 
gether  too  hazy  and  inarticulate,  at  a  time  when  the 
consciousness  of  His  holy  Presence  is  especially  needed, 
if  we  are  to  shape  and  sustain  a  civilization  that  is  quad¬ 
rupling  itself  in  weight  and  extent  by  reason  of  the 
growth  and  application  of  material  knowledge.  Any 
quickening  of  God  that  is  to  be  highly  beneficial  must 


126 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


result  in  His  further  advent  into  human  lives  and  hrn 
man  institutions  after  the  pattern  of  Jesus. 

That  a  mere  God  of  nature  is  insufficient  was  forcibly 
brought  home  to  me  while  I  was  watching  a  circus  per¬ 
former  throw  daggers  and  toss  balls.  The  performer, 
placing  a  man  against  a  wide  board,  some  ten  feet  dis¬ 
tant,  hurled  a  bunch  of  daggers  into  the  board  on  either 
side  of  the  man,  each  time  missing  him  by  only  one  or 
two  inches.  Then  he  began  tossing  balls  until  the  air 
seemed  full  of  them,  and  not  one  ball  fell  to  the  ground. 
Having  witnessed  with  amazement  his  great  dexterity, 
these  thoughts  occurred  to  me : 

“I  wonder  what  he  is  like  when  he  talks?  If  he  is 
married  what  does  his  wife  think  of  him?  If  he  has 
children  how  do  they  feel  toward  him?  Or  if  he  is  a 
single  man,  what  would  I  think  if  he  should  wish  to 
marry  my  daughter?”  I  then  realized  that  I  knew  ab¬ 
solutely  nothing  about  him  except  that  he  was  a  dex¬ 
terous  machine.  Then  falling  into  a  homiletical  mood 
I  thought  of  the  great  skill  of  God.  “  How  wonderfully 
He  can  toss  balls,  and  strew  the  milky  way,  and  hurl 
Pleiades  and  Orion!  Before  such  infinite  skill  the  per¬ 
formance  which  I  have  just  witnessed  is  ridiculous.” 
Then  the  thought  forced  itself  upon  me,  “  What  would 
God  be  like  if  He  were  to  talk?  What  kind  of  a  per¬ 
son  should  we  find  Him  to  be  if  He  walked  our  streets, 
and  engaged  in  business,  and  sat  at  the  table  as  one  of 
the  family  circle?”  I  then  realized  that  if  God  could 
only  toss  balls  and  direct  atoms  we  should  really  know 


DOES  GOD  El  AYE  A  BODY? 


127 


nothing  whatever  of  Elis  character.  If  He  were  no 
more  than  the  uniform  power  of  nature’s  laws  He  would 
too  closely  resemble  gravity,  or  electricity,  to  be  satisfy¬ 
ing  to  His  children.  The  human  heart  demands  that, 
in  addition  to  all  this,  God  be  individual,  and  spontaneous, 
like  other  persons  whom  we  know,  and  with  whom  we 
hold  fellowship.  We  enjoy  seeing  our  friends  run  ma¬ 
chines,  but  what  an  awful  life  it  would  be  if  every  person 
in  the  world  gave  no  heed  to  anyone  or  anything  except 
the  machine  which  he  uniformly  and  incessantly  operated! 
What  a  monstrous  and  oppressive  idea  it  is  to  think  of 
God,  silent  as  a  sphinx,  spending  an  eternity  with  His 
mind  so  riveted  upon  the  operation  of  His  machine- 
world  that  He  has  neither  time  nor  capacity  for  anything 
else.  If  such  a  God  had  time  to  think  of  it,  He  surely 
would  envy  the  little  child  who  can  prattle,  and  laugh, 
and  sing. 

Fortunately  this  higher  demand  upon  God  is  fully  met 
in  the  religion  of  Jesus.  For  while  our  Father  is  a 
wonder-worker  and  a  world  builder,  at  the  same  time  He 
has  myriads  of  human  bodies  through  which  He  can  live 
a  thoroughly  social  life.  Ele  is  the  most  social  Being  in 
the  universe;  Elis  desire  and  capacity  for  social  rela¬ 
tions  are  unlimited.  He  does  not  willingly  leave  one 
individual  outside  the  circle  of  His  friends.  All  His 
work  in  nature  is  for  the  purpose  of  providing  instru¬ 
ments  and  conditions  for  a  family  of  free  children, 
among  whom  He  may  live  as  the  free  and  adorable 
Father.  It  is  no  wonder  that  men  cease  to  pray,  when 


128 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


in  their  thought  God  is  divorced  from  everything  in¬ 
dividual  and  social.  When  men  conceive  of  God  as 
the  mere  operator  of  the  cosmos,  their  highest  concern 
is  to  keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  machine.  It  never  oc¬ 
curs  to  such  men  that  God  is  able  to  treat  them  as  sons, 
after  the  most  personal  and  human  manner.  It  is  only 
in  the  laws  of  nature  that  His  actions  are  mechanically 
uniform.  In  social  relations  His  moods  and  actions 
change  to  suit  the  feelings  and  conduct  of  His  sons  and 
daughters.  In  nature  God  sends  the  rain  and  sunshine  on 
the  just  and  the  unjust  alike,  but  in  human-nature  He 
smiles  or  frowns  according  to  each  individual’s  deserts. 
In  Jesus,  God  might  say,  “  Come  unto  me,”  or  He 
might  make  a  whip  of  cords  and  drive  the  people  out 
of  the  temple.  Prayer  does  not  cause  God  to  change 
His  wise  and  loving  purpose,  but  it  does  determine  how 
He  shall  execute  His  holy  will.  If  the  conduct  of  a 
child  does  not  change  the  father’s  actions  toward  him, 
then  the  father  is  both  foolish  and  immoral.  Men 
should  learn  that  God  is  even  greater  in  humanity  than 
He  is  in  nature.  For  in  the  one,  He  is  uniform  power, 
while  in  the  other,  He  is  Father,  Redeemer,  and  Friend. 
In  the  world  of  wills,  God  is  individual  and  human. 
And  His  inner  communion  with  us  is  greatly  intensified 
and  clarified  when  there  is  added  to  it  His  audible  voice 
from  without.  The  voice  of  God  speaking  to  us  through 
human  lips  awakens  the  voice  of  God  within  us.  How 
wonderfully  clear  was  the  Divine  Voice  in  men’s  hearts 
when  God  spoke  to  them  through  Jesus!  Likewise  when 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


129 


the  apostle  Paul  went  to  a  new  community,  it  seemed  to 
receptive  minds  that  God  had  come  to  town;  and  they 
were  wholly  justified  in  thinking  so,  for  though  God  had 
been  there  all  the  time,  powerfully  through  nature’s  laws 
and  feebly  in  their  darkened  hearts,  yet  for  the  first 
time  God  was  within  their  city  in  clear  articulate  speech, 
wooing  them  to  Himself.  This  not  only  made  God  seem 
real  to  them,  but  it  made  it  easy  for  them  to  believe  and 
be  baptized.  Though  able  to  rejoice  for  a  time,  yet 
heaviness  soon  came  upon  them  after  Paul’s  departure, 
because  God  too  seemed  to  have  departed  from  their 
midst.  Neither  were  they  mistaken  in  this,  for  God 
had  no  instrument  remaining  through  which  He  could 
make  Himself  so  humanly  real  to  them,  after  His  de¬ 
voted  and  tried  servant  had  gone  away.  As  a  result  of 
Paul’s  early  departure  there  would  follow  unbelief  and 
conduct  unworthy  of  Christians.  To  meet  this  sad 
state  of  affairs  in  the  mission  churches,  God  would  write 
them  a  letter,  or  better  still,  make  them  another  visit 
in  Paul. 

Once  there  was  brought  home  to  me  in  a  very  beautiful 
and  unexpected  manner  the  Christian  truth  about  God’s 
essential  oneness  with  humanity.  Weary  from  my 
afternoon  calls,  I  had  just  returned  home.  Entering  the 
side  hall  that  was  already  dark,  I  saw  through  the  door 
slightly  ajar  my  little  son  and  daughter  at  play.  Philip, 
eight  years  old,  was  building  up  blocks  on  the  floor,  while 
Esther,  two  years  younger,  was  standing  under  the  elec¬ 
tric  light  with  both  arms  raised  as  high  as  she  could 


130 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


stretch  them  over  her  head.  Seeing  her  dramatic  posi¬ 
tion,  and  the  unusual  look  on  her  face,  I  remained  silent 
in  the  hall  knowing  that  something  was  coming.  With 
intense  feeling  she  said : 

“  Oh,  Philip!  of  course  we  would  kiss  God!”  To 
which  Philip  replied : 

“  Oh,  you  couldn’t  kiss  God.  He  is  a  spirit.  Why, 
God  is  in  you, —  and  in  me.” 

Still  standing  in  her  dramatic  position  with  the  light 
shining  full  on  her  face,  she  began  lowering  her  arms 
slowly,  and  as  her  expression  of  comprehension  deepened 
she  said : 

“  Oh  well  then,  Philip,  if  God  is  in  you  and  in  me, 
if  we  were  to  kiss  each  other  we  would  kiss  God.” 

“  Yes,  that  is  right,  you  would,”  was  his  response. 
Then  said  she : 

“  Let  us  kiss  God.”  He  arose  promptly,  and  the  chil¬ 
dren,  throwing  their  arms  tightly  around  each  other, 
kissed  God. 

If  ever  there  was  a  glad  father  I  was  one.  Standing 
there  in  the  dark  hall  I  thought : 

“  God  bless  the  dear  children,  they  have  the  evangel. 
That  is  the  very  essence  of  the  Christian  religion,  4  In¬ 
asmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  the  least  of  these  ye  did  it 
unto  me.’  ” 

Of  course  we  all  realize  that  there  are  certain 
proprieties  which  adults  must  observe,  but  what  could 
be  more  beautiful  than  for  a  little  brother  and  sister  so 
to  recognize  God  in  each  other  as  to  be  able  to  kiss  Him  ? 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


131 

The  idea  here  involved,  if  carried  out  in  every  relation 
of  life,  would  be  the  Kingdom  of  God  realized.  Further¬ 
more,  there  is  no  other  way  of  making  the  Kingdom  of 
God  a  reality,  either  on  earth  or  in  the  life  beyond. 
Doubtless  God  never  will  be  seen  outside  the  bodies 
which  He  provides  for  Himself  and  His  children  to  use 
in  common.  However,  we  shall  have  more  to  say  about 
that  later. 

A  Christian  woman  has  beautifully  related  an  incident 
which  brought  to  her  Christ’s  idea  and  experience  of 
religion.  Said  she : 

“  It  was  my  custom  to  retire  each  day  to  my  own  room 
for  devotion.  On  one  occasion  when  my  heart  was 
deeply  oppressed  my  prayers  seemed  all  in  vain.  Never¬ 
theless,  I  continued  to  plead,  ‘  O  Lord  Jesus,  reveal  thy¬ 
self  to  me.’  After  awhile  there  came  a  rap  at  my  door. 
It  was  the  maid  seeking  comfort.  She  had  broken  a 
choice  piece  of  china.  But  I  drove  her  away  rather 
harshly,  saying,  *  You  know  you  are  not  to  bother  me  at 
this  hour.’  Then  I  continued,  *  O  Lord  Jesus,  reveal  thy¬ 
self.’  After  more  fruitless  prayer,  my  little  girl  came 
sobbing  for  comfort  as  she  had  broken  her  first  doll. 
I  even  drove  her  away  saying,  ‘  My  child,  you  must  not 
disturb  your  mother  now.’  After  resuming  what  seemed 
to  be  a  useless  petition,  there  came  to  me  a  suggestion 
as  distinct  and  forceful  as  if  spoken.  ‘  Inasmuch  as  ye 
did  it  not  unto  the  least  of  these  ye  did  it  not  unto  me.’ 
I  arose  from  my  knees,  unlocked  the  door,  and  went  out. 
In  the  kitchen  I  found  the  maid  sullen  and  angry,  to 


*32 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


whom  I  spoke  comforting  words.  Seeing  the  light  come 
to  her  face,  I  went  on  to  find  my  little  daughter.  From 
under  the  grapevine  where  she  had  already  cried  her¬ 
self  to  sleep,  I  picked  her  up;  and  after  kissing  her  and 
wiping  the  tear  stains  from  her  cheeks,  I  told  her  that  I 
would  get  her  another  dollie, —  one  ever  so  much  nicer 
than  the  first.  Having  comforted  others  for  His  sake, 
and  for  their  own  sake,  my  soul  was  filled  with  inexpress¬ 
ible  peace!  And  once  more  something  spoke  to  my  in¬ 
nermost  being,  ‘  Inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  unto  the  least  of 
these  ye  did  it  unto  me.’  ” 

Let  no  one  draw  the  conclusion  that  her  habit  of  devo¬ 
tion  was  worthless,  for  it  is  not  very  likely  that  all  this 
peace  and  revelation  would  have  come  to  her  if  she  had 
been  less  inclined  to  pray.  The  intense  desire  of  her 
prayer,  coupled  with  the  unpleasant  incidents  of  the  day, 
brought  to  her  the  fuller  truth. 

Though  a  minister  may  not  neglect  his  sermons,  yet 
there  have  been  times  when  I  have  grown  so  desperate  in 
my  effort  to  prepare  a  vital  message  that  I  have  thrown 
down  my  insipid  and  stupid  manuscript  to  go  out  and 
find  some  needy,  suffering  person  whom  I  could  bless  in 
His  name.  Whenever  I  have  done  this  I  have  found 
God  and  my  soul  and  a  sermon. 

5.  Where  does  Jesus  belong  in  the  religious,  social  and 

thought  worlds? 

When  the  God  Soul  and  the  man  soul  unite,  they  so 
lift  nature’s  forces  up  into  personal  life  that  the  uni- 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


133 


verse  no  longer  lies  in  broken  and  confused  fragments. 
Jesus  is  at  the  center  of  all  things  because  all  things  cen¬ 
ter  in  pure  personal  life.  In  Him,  the  Father-spirit, 
the  child-spirit,  and  nature’s  forces  were  so  correlated  as 
to  be  newly  manifest;  the  child  was  completing  himself 
in  the  Father,  and  the  Father  was  fulfilling  Himself  in  the 
child,  while  nature  was  serving  as  the  common  instru¬ 
ment  of  both.  Separate  the  God  Soul,  the  man  soul,  and 
nature’s  forces,  and  no  one  of  them  is  revealed.  Unite 
them  as  they  were  in  Jesus  and  the  meaning  of  all  three 
appears.  Christ’s  type  of  life  brings  all  reality  into  ac¬ 
cord  because  it  combines  everything  into  a  composite,  per¬ 
sonal  life. 

If  you  wish  to  know  God  in  the  most  perfect  way,  go 
to  Jesus;  if  you  care  to  know  man  as  he  should  be,  go 
to  Jesus;  if  you  would  look  upon  God,  man,  and  nature’s 
forces  in  one  radiant,  wooing  personality,  go  to  Jesus. 
If  it  is  the  purpose  of  religionists,  sociologists,  and  philos¬ 
ophers  to  trace  reality  to  its  highest  form  of  expression, 
let  them  go  to  Jesus.  Yes,  let  all  men  go  to  Jesus  with 
their  wealth  of  technical  knowledge  which  they  have 
gained  in  the  wide  fields  of  research;  and  in  His  pres¬ 
ence,  their  treasures,  like  precious  gems,  will  scintillate 
with  a  divine  light.  This  conjunction  in  Jesus  of  all 
streams  of  reality  makes  Him  the  light  of  the  world. 
In  the  same  way,  and  for  the  same  reason,  every  per¬ 
son  would  be  the  light  of  the  world  if  the  child-spirit 
rendered  an  obedience  to  the  Father  equally  loving  and 
intelligent.  But  this  is  the  tragedy, —  who  has  rendered 


134 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


such  obedience!  It  is  the  belief  of  many  of  us  that 
Jesus  was  never  disobedient,  even  as  a  little  child. 
Though  it  were  admitted  that  this  could  not  be  proved, 
still  it  would  remain  a  fact  that  as  Jesus  “  Increased  in 
wisdom  and  stature,  and  in  favor  with  God  and  man,” 
His  filial  obedience  identified  Him  with  the  Father.  The 
oneness  of  Deity  and  humanity  was  so  certainly  achieved 
in  Jesus  that  no  one  can  rob  him  of  His  glory  nor  of 
His  place  as  the  Messiah.  He  was  the  first  to  open  wide 
the  door  to  God;  yea  more,  He  was  the  door.  In  Jesus, 
we  come  face  to  face  with  the  personal  God  and  with  our 
Elder  Brother  who  lived  in  God.  In  Him,  the  perfect 
God  was  living  in  man,  and  the  perfect  man  was  living  in 
God,  while  unitedly  they  were  living  among  men  as  a 
visible  member  of  society. 

Taking  the  world  as  it  is,  the  presence  of  God  in  hu¬ 
manity  could  but  bring  both  peace  and  trouble ;  it  brought 
joy  to  the  pure  in  heart,  and  bitter  hatred  and  strife  to 
those  who  loved  darkness  rather  than  light  because  their 
deeds  were  evil.  The  weary  and  the  noble  were  attracted 
to  Jesus,  while  the  vicious  and  the  self-willed  hurled  them¬ 
selves  against  Him  with  mad  fury;  but  it  was  ever  so, 
from  the  beginning  of  human  history  until  the  present 
hour.  Whenever  God  has  made  His  approach  in  human 
life,  the  evil-in-heart  have  opposed  Him;  they  have  killed 
the  prophets,  and  stoned  God  when  He  came  unto  them. 
In  our  own  day,  many  who  speak  beautifully  of  God  in 
nature,  are  fiercely  angry  with  Him  when  He  appears 
among  them  in  a  good  man  ;  they  are  willing  to  believe 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


135 


that  God  is  in  that  part  of  nature  which  soothes  their 
senses,  but  they  are  not  willing  to  believe  that  He  is  in 
the  man  who  irritates  them  by  opposing  their  wicked  ways, 
or  by  hindering  them  in  their  pursuit  of  ill-gotten  gains 
and  illicit  pleasures.  Therefore,  when  God  in  Jesus  so 
fully  and  perfectly  entered  society,  it  is  not  strange  that 
they  put  Him  to  death.  However,  in  killing  Jesus  they 
unwittingly  exalted  Him ;  in  this  act  they  brought  to  light 
the  heinousness  of  sin,  the  inexpressible  love  of  God,  and 
the  compassion  of  the  child  Jesus  for  his  sinful  brothers. 
It  is  before  the  cross,  if  anywhere,  that  men  are  led  to 
repentance;  it  is  there,  if  anywhere,  that  the  heart  is  both 
broken  and  healed.  Before  such  wondrous  love  the 
world  may  well  pause  and  sing : 

“  In  the  cross  of  Christ  I  glory,  towering  o’er  the  wrecks  of 
time, 

All  the  light  of  sacred  story  gathers  round  its  head  sublime.” 

6.  Can  God  die  ? 

Yes ,  God  can  die.  Three  years  ago  after  the  Sunday 
morning  service  I  received  a  telegram  saying,  “  Mother 
died  this  morning  at  six-thirty.  Come!”  Now,  what 
did  my  sisters  mean  by  this  information ;  did  they  intend 
to  convey  the  idea  that  our  mother  had  become  extinct? 
Not  at  all,  they  only  meant  that  she  had  lost  the  dear  old 
instrument  that  we  had  known  for  so  many  years  in  this 
earthly  home.  Death  never  signifies  more  than  this  to 
the  Christian.  Though  we  said  she  was  dead,  we  believed 


136  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


our  mother  to  be  more  alive  than  ever.  If  death  is 
simply  the  loss  of  our  instrument,  the  body,  then  God 
too  can  die,  for  He  may  lose  His  body.  God  died  on 
the  cross  with  His  child,  because  the  Father-spirit,  no 
less  than  the  child-spirit,  lost  His  beautiful  instrument  in 
which  He  had  walked  by  the  shores  of  Galilee,  teaching 
and  comforting  the  people.  If  Jesus  would  not  forsake 
the  Father  in  the  agony  of  the  Garden,  we  may  be  sure 
that  the  Father  did  not  forsake  His  child  on  the  cross. 
As  they  were  united  in  life  they  were  undivided  in 
death.  To  think  that  Jesus  any  more  than  the  Father 
was  conscious  of  the  pain,  is  to  make  Jesus  greater 
than  God.  The  God  who  creates  the  body,  moment  by 
moment,  must  know  the  thrill  of  every  nerve,  since  they 
are  His  own  nerves  which  He  shares  with  His  child. 
Yet  it  is  not  the  pain  nor  the  indignity  heaped  upon  the 
Father  and  His  Holy  Child  that  we  are  here  emphasizing, 
but  the  fact  that  He  lost  the  instrument  by  means  of 
which  He  had  been  a  living  person  among  men.  The 
disciples  scattered  in  sorrow  and  bewilderment,  when 
God  and  His  Child  Jesus  died  on  the  cross.  The  Father 
had  no  form  left  on  earth  through  which  He  could  con¬ 
tinue  to  speak  unerring  words  of  wisdom  and  love. 
One  year  before  my  mother  died  she  enfolded  me  once 
more  in  her  arms  and  blessed  me,  saying,  “  My  son,  I 
shall  never  see  you  again  on  earth.”  Hastening  home  at 
the  summons  of  my  sisters  I  looked  again  on  the  dear 
old  instrument,  but  the  hand  of  welcome  was  not  extended, 
and  the  lips  did  not  speak.  In  like  manner  when  the 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


137 


limp  body  of  Jesus  was  taken  from  the  cross,  the  lips 
no  longer  said,  “  I  and  the  Father  are  one,  He  that  hath 
seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father.”  Those  lifeless  hands  were 
no  longer  outstretched,  and  pleading,  “  Gome  unto  me  all 
ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  will  give  you 
rest.”  Yes,  God  can  die;  He  can  lose  His  human  instru¬ 
ments  on  earth.  He  can  likewise  die  to  society  by  being 
robbed  of  His  highest  instruments.  If  no  man,  woman, 
or  child  in  my  city  would  let  God  come  to  articulate  speech 
or  deed  through  his  body,  God  would  be  stone  dead  in 
Bridgeport;  He  would  be  as  dead  as  the  spirits  whose 
bodies  lie  in  our  cemeteries.  As  already  indicated,  I  do 
not  mean,  even  in  that  sad  event,  that  God  would  not 
still  be  in  Bridgeport  as  the  power  of  the  all-pervad¬ 
ing  atmosphere,  or  as  the  mighty  force  of  the  waves  that 
lash  our  shores.  His  energy  would  still  be  scintillating 
in  the  lamps  of  the  white  way,  and  shedding  a  soft  light 
in  the  smaller  lamps  that  brighten  our  homes ;  His  would 
still  be  the  energy  propelling  all  the  thundering  mills  of 
industry,  and  the  power  sustaining  the  nerves  and 
muscles  that  operate  the  machinery;  He  would  still  be 
present  in  the  blazing  sun  by  day  and  in  the  twinkling 
stars  by  night ;  He  would  still  wrap  us  round,  and  enfold¬ 
ing  us  in  His  great  universe  He  would  watch  over  us 
by  day  and  brood  over  us  by  night;  and  yet  for  all  this, 
if  we  entirely  robbed  Him  of  all  His  human  bodies  He, 
as  a  member  of  society,  would  be  completely  dead  in 
Bridgeport.  If  in  his  own  life  every  one  killed  God,  men 
would  then  devour  one  another.  As  it  is,  God  is  partly 


138  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


dead  and  partly  alive  in  my  city,  as  in  all  cities ;  and  hence 
we  are  sometimes  a  blessing  and  sometimes  a  curse  to 
one  another.  God  may  be  manifestly  alive  in  one  per¬ 
son,  and  nearly  dead  in  the  same  man’s  nearest  neighbor ; 
and  He  is  more  or  less  dead  and  alive  in  the  best  of  us. 
When  God  can  no  longer  get  to  the  surface  through  men’s 
souls,  and  bodies,  and  institutions,  He  is  dead  in  that 
locality.  And  when  God  is  dead  through  the  loss  of 
men,  society  is  spiritually  dead  through  the  loss  of  God. 
The  living  God  is  not  one  who  is  driven  out  of  His  king¬ 
dom  and  reduced  to  a  mere  operator  of  the  cosmos.  The 
living  God  is  not  one  who  is  persecuted  by  His  children 
and  driven  from  home  while  His  business  is  going  to 
rack  and  ruin.  A  living  God  must  be  active  in  His  uni¬ 
verse  from  center  to  circumference.  Until  our  bodies 
are  God’s  obedient  instruments  there  is  no  kingdom  of 
God.  There  is  not  the  slightest  reason  for  thinking  there 
is  a  kingdom  of  God  anywhere  in  the  universe  unless  God 
has  children  somewhere  who  are  permitting  Him  to  live 
through  the  instruments  with  which  He  enfolds  them. 
Until  God  is  permitted  to  live  in  His  own  bodies,  He  is 
dead  and  His  children  are  languishing. 

If  the  Christian  religion  were  understood  and  believed 
and  practiced,  what  a  transformation  it  would  work! 
For  instance,  if  every  man,  woman,  and  child  in  my  city 
rendered  perfect  obedience  to  God,  then  every  human 
body  in  Bridgeport  would  become  His  very  own  to  use, 
and  God  Himself  would  throng  our  streets.  We  should 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY? 


139 


meet  Him  face  to  face  in  individuals  and  crowds.  It 
would  be  Emmanuel,  or  “  God-with-us  ”  everywhere. 
All  faces  would  be  bright  with  the  wisdom  and  goodness 
of  God.  Every  individual  would  be  our  Infinite  Father 
and  our  brother  in  one.  What  a  rapid  human  growth 
would  ensued  Every  living  person  would  be  a  window 
through  which  the  light  of  God  would  shine.  There 
would  be  young  minds  like  the  child  Jesus  in  the  temple, 
just  waking  to  the  mind  of  God,  and  ripe  saints  and  sages 
flooding  the  community  with  God’s  vaster  wisdom  and 
profounder  love.  Not  only  would  our  immediate  bodies 
be  cleansed  and  transformed,  but  our  augmented  bodies 
would  be  brought  into  harmony  with  the  divine  Will. 
Our  city  would  become  a  heavenly  abode,  and  our  in¬ 
dustries  would  become  the  instruments  of  love  and 
righteousness.  We  should  tap  a  thousand  sources  of 
power  that  now  remain  idle,  and  finding  unlimited  re¬ 
sources  within  ourselves  and  our  environments,  we  would 
work  wonders.  While  making  God’s  energies  our  en¬ 
larged  and  purified  bodies,  we  should  at  the  same  time  turn 
them  into  instruments  of  God’s  love.  If  God  were  per¬ 
mitted  to  come  to  the  surface  perfectly  in  all  our  lives, 
and  in  all  with  which  we  have  to  do,  three  years  would 
not  pass  until  people  would  be  making  pilgrimages  from 
the  ends  of  the  earth  to  see  the  city  “  where  God  lives.” 

In  a  previous  chapter  I  said  that  God,  as  a  solitary  per¬ 
son  in  the  universe,  would  not  mine  coal,  and  run  steam 
engines;  but  now  allow  me  to  say  that  if  there  is  any- 


140 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


thing  God  wants  to  do  it  is  to  get  into  the  railroad  busi¬ 
ness;  and  if  He  does  not,  it  will  be  because  men  vote 
Him  out.  But  in  shutting  God  out  of  railroad  corpora¬ 
tions,  what  are  we  doing?  Though  not  fully  aware  of  it, 
yet  we  are  really  saying,  “  O  God,  you  may  be  the  energy 
in  the  steel  rails,  you  may  be  the  power  in  the  wheels, 
you  may  be  the  expansive  force  of  the  steam,  you  may 
manage  the  chemical  combinations  of  the  wheat  or  other 
cargo,  you  may  furnish  us  with  our  bodies,  you  may  do 
everything  but  dictate  terms  of  business.  If,  however, 
you  want  to  sit  at  the  desk  as  the  senior  partner  then  our 
answer  is,  ‘  Get  down  and  out,  O  God.’  We  are  glad  to 
have  you  as  our  slave  and  lackey,  we  are  delighted  to  use 
you  and  exploit  you,  but  woe  to  the  man  or  men  who 
plead  your  cause  in  connection  with  our  private  business. ” 

Such  is  the  enormity  of  our  sin,  and  the  denseness  of 
our  ignorance  when  we  shut  God  out  of  our  business  af¬ 
fairs.  If  God  may  not  be  in  our  daily  enterprises  He 
will  not  deign  to  be  in  our  prayer  meetings.  This  is  the 
message  of  Jesus  to  all  men,  to  employers  and  employees 
alike ;  this  is  the  will  of  God,  that  in  and  through  His  chil¬ 
dren  He  may  make  all  things  vocal  with  His  wisdom, 
and  beautiful  with  His  love.  Scholars  may  look  into 
nerves  and  brain,  but  the  spirit  is  fully  revealed  before 
the  face  and  not  back  of  it.  So  the  infinite  God  and 
Father  of  our  spirits  is  fully  revealed,  if  at  all,  in  benig¬ 
nant  eyes,  friendly  hands,  willing  feet,  and  gracious 
words.  It  is  the  way  we  grow  our  bodies,  and  shape 
our  institutions,  and  manipulate  all  the  forces  of  nature 


DOES  GOD  HAVE  A  BODY?  141 

that  we  reveal  what  manner  of  spirits  we  are.  If  our 
spirits  are  evil,  then  God  is  denied  bodily  expression. 
There  is  no  use  saying  Lord,  Lord,  if  we  do  not  the 
things  which  He  tells  us. 


CHAPTER  V 


LOSING  THE  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY 

A  general  statement 

The  “  what  ”  and  “  where  ”  of  God  is  still  incomplete 
so  long  as  we  confine  our  thought  to  the  mere  fragment 
of  time  measured  by  this  earth  life.  Though  we  have 
found  the  unity  of  all  parts  in  the  Christ  life,  yet  that 
unity  is  and  can  be  but  imperfectly  realized  by  society  on 
earth.  A  longer  time  and  a  wider  sphere  must  be  con¬ 
sidered  if  we  are  really  to  know  what  God  and  man  is. 
Therefore,  God,  man,  and  the  universe  must  be  viewed  in 
the  light  of  endless  time. 

If  in  certain  respects  this  generation  is  conspicuous  for 
its  lack  of  faith,  in  other  respects  it  is  notable  for  its 
abundance  of  faith.  The  new  knowledge  acquired  along 
many  lines  instead  of  destroying  our  belief  in  immor¬ 
tality  is  going  to  enrich  it  immeasurably  when  we  have 
thoroughly  digested  the  facts.  In  the  meantime  some 
minds  are  bound  to  be  disquieted. 

It  is  most  fortunate  that  the  majority  of  people  seem 
able  to  accept  the  fact  of  a  future  life  as  something  al¬ 
together  natural  and  inevitable.  Those  who  are  not  able 

to  do  so,  however,  appear  to  be  increasing  in  number. 

142 


LOSING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  143 

Yet  we  may  rest  assured  that  whatever  will  save  the  faith 
of  the  doubting  ones  will  enrich  the  faith  of  those  who 
find  it  easy  to  believe.  And  if  those  who  doubt  are  not 
as  numerous  as  sometimes  appears,  so  much  the  better. 
Whatever  the  real  situation  may  be,  it  is  our  privilege 
and  duty  to  deepen  and  enrich  our  faith  to  the  extent  of 
our  ability.  That  so  many  express  doubts  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  immortality  is  something  to  be  deplored  and,  if 
possible,  remedied. 

An  old  man,  highly  esteemed,  despondingly  said  to  me 
after  the  funeral  of  his  friend: 

“  We  hope  there  is  something  beyond,  but  we  do  not 
know.” 

In  response  to  my  word  of  assurance,  he  grew  even 
more  pensive  and  added,  “  No  one  has  ever  returned.” 

To  say  the  least  this  life-long  member  of  the  Church 
saw  nothing  in  future  prospects  to  cheer  his  declining 
years.  As  I  gave  his  feeble  hand  a  warm  clasp,  I  pain¬ 
fully  realized  that  the  light  was  fading  from  his  soul 
as  well  as  from  his  eyes. 

On  my  first  visit  after  the  funeral  of  a  senior  deacon, 
his  widow  plaintively  repeated  the  words  of  the  old 
man : 

“  We  hope  there  is  something  beyond,  but  we  do  not 
know.” 

My  prompt  response  was  immediately  checked  by  a 
languid  wave  of  the  hand,  and  an  emphatic,  “  No  one 
can  know.” 

This  uncertain  state  of  mind  is  in  striking  contrast 


144 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


with  that  of  the  saints  and  martyrs;  it  cannot  say,  “  To 
me,  to  live  is  Christ  and  to  die  is  gain.” 

Some  highly  honorable  people  tell  me  that  they  have 
no  desire  to  live  again,  and  express  wonder  that  anyone 
has  such  a  desire.  The  good  influence  we  may  leave  be¬ 
hind  us,  they  think,  is  immortality  enough. 

A  general  loss  of  faith  in  immortality,  I  am  confident, 
would  work  irreparable  harm  to  society.  It  would  com¬ 
pletely  destroy  religion.  The  Church,  therefore,  should 
do  its  utmost  to  keep  alive  a  rational  and  heartfelt  as¬ 
surance  of  immortality.  This,  I  am  sure,  can  be  done 
without,  in  any  way,  stultifying  the  intellect.  In  fact, 
the  intellect  must  be  made  our  ally  if  we  are  to  succeed. 

At  this  point  the  remark  of  a  woman  ninety  years  old 
is  very  significant  and  reassuring.  After  reading  a  popu¬ 
lar  book  of  the  day  on  immortality,  she  said : 

“  I  did  not  like  it.  I  do  not  want  anyone  to  try  to 
prove  immortality  by  science,  because  he  cannot  do  it. 
I  grasp  the  reality  of  a  future  life  with  my  whole 
being.” 

Why  are  so  many  people  losing  their  assurance  of 
immortality f 


i.  The  contagion  of  doubt 

There  is  a  contagion  of  doubt  as  well  as  a  contagion  of 
faith.  With  facts  still  favorable  to  a  victory,  an  army 
may  lose  morale.  When  the  general  and  all  his  officers 
keep  hopeful,  their  confidence  works  its  way  down  to  the 


LOSING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  145 


enlisted  men.  If  the  hopeful  word  is  on  many  lips  the 
morale  is  saved,  and  the  whole  army  is  confident  of 
victory.  Witnessing  to  any  belief  has  a  tremendous 
psychic  influence  for  good  or  evil.  The  facts  concern¬ 
ing  any  great  subject  are  never  deeply  analyzed  by  the 
masses;  yet  the  people  possess  a  rare  power  for  sensing 
the  spirit  of  their  times. 

In  the  fight  for  Eternal  Life  the  morale  of  the  Church 
is  too  low.  The  confidence  at  the  top  is  not  always  as 
rugged  and  commanding  as  it  might  be.  Too  many  col¬ 
lege  men  are  confused  in  a  jumble  of  ideas,  and  some  of 
them,  unfortunately,  give  their  testimony  on  the  side  of 
doubt. 

No  one  should  give  an  insincere  testimony  for  the  sake 
of  helping  out  a  weak  cause.  Yet  many  college  men  are 
greatly  remiss  in  not  giving  more  careful  consideration  to 
a  theme  that  vitally  affects  all  human  interests. 

At  all  events,  the  masses  hear  many  expressions  of 
doubt,  and  are  not  slow  to  pass  them  on.  A  large  num¬ 
ber  of  people  who  stand  aloof  from  the  Churches  hear 
a  dozen  denials  to  one  affirmation  of  belief  in  immor¬ 
tality.  Many  radical  socialists  carry  on  a  determined 
propaganda  against  belief  in  immortality  for  political 
and  economic  reasons.  They  say  to  the  restless  crowds : 

“  The  Church  is  fooling  you  with  the  hope  that  the 
wrongs  of  this  life  will  be  righted  in  another;  but  there 
is  no  other.  If  ever  you  get  your  share  of  good  things 
you  must  get  it  soon,  for  your  life  is  short.  Therefore, 
down  with  the  Church  and  king  capital!  ” 


146  what  and  where  is  god? 


I  am  not  fearful  for  the  grounds  on  which  the  as¬ 
surance  of  this  great  Christian  belief  rests,  but  I  am  dis¬ 
turbed  over  the  prevalent  ignorance  and  indifference 
manifested. 

2.  The  inability  to  make  a  religious  use  of  modern 

knowledge 

The  Christian  view  of  life  in  its  relation  to  the  whole 
body  of  modern  information  has  not  been  adequately 
given  to  the  people.  And  they  are  seriously  affected  in 
consequence  of  this  neglect.  That  irreligion  does  not 
tend  toward  assurance  of  immortality  I  regard  as  an  in¬ 
controvertible  position.  Yet  to  say  that  all  doubt  is  due 
to  a  lack  of  Christian  devotion  is  not  true.  Many  good 
Christians  are  confused,  and  seek  help  to  regain  the  com¬ 
forting  belief  that  death  does  not  end  all.  All  clearly 
ascertained  truth  about  the  universe  should  prove  a  help 
to  faith,  but  until  people  know  what  to  do  with  so  many 
new  facts,  they  prove  a  decided  hindrance. 

Take  for  example  just  one  popular  subject  of  the  day, 
physiological  psychology :  When  taught  by  men  who  have 
never  grasped  the  Christian  philosophy  of  life,  it  affords 
the  shortest  possible  road  to  atheism  and  the  denial  of  the 
human  soul.  This  modern  branch  of  learning,  though  the 
finest  of  servants,  is  the  meanest  of  masters.  It  has  slain 
its  thousands.  Physiological  psychology  has  its  own  field 
of  investigation,  but  it  is  never  safe  when  it  parts  company 
with  sound  philosophy. 


LOSING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  147 


3.  The  loss  of  a  satisfying  conception  of  the  future  life 

In  sharp  contrast  with  former  times,  this  generation 
has  no  satisfying  conception  of  the  future  life.  And 
naturally  an  indefinite  and  hazy  future  makes  but  slight 
appeal.  Many  instinctively  turn  from  such  a  future  to 
save  their  peace  of  mind.  They  prefer  something  that 
is  definite  and  interesting.  It  is  a  matter  of  common  ex¬ 
perience  that  the  heart  will  not  glow  if  there  is  no  pic¬ 
ture  on  the  canvas.  Unless  we  can  so  adjust  the  lens  of 
our  minds  as  to  project  something  more  than  confused 
colors,  we  shall  never  bring  back  the  former  interest  in 
a  future  life.  Unfortunately,  there  has  not  been  much 
striving  on  the  part  of  the  Church  to  construct  a  future 
that  will  harmonize  with  the  newly  discovered  constitu¬ 
tion  of  the  universe.  And  without  this  end  in  view  all 
striving  would  be  in  vain;  nothing  will  avail  that  does 
not  relate  the  future  to  the  divine  framework  of  God’s 
present  Universe. 

The  common  conception  of  heaven  has  been  of  some¬ 
thing  quite  apart  from  the  existing  world  as  we  know  it. 
Among  all  with  whom  I  have  conversed,  I  have  not  found 
one  who  expects  to  have  a  physical  body  in  the  future  life. 
They  have  erroneously  interpreted  a  “  spiritual  body  ” 
to  mean  a  spirit  body.  This  crude  idea  of  a  spirit  body 
is  a  fair  sample  of  a  hundred  other  fancies  and  miscon¬ 
ceptions. 

When  the  commonly  accepted  idea  of  heaven  became  as 
distasteful  to  the  minister  as  it  was  to  many  of  his  con- 


,148  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

i 

gregation,  he  stopped  preaching  about  it.  The  laity  may 
no  longer  be  seen  enjoying  a  rapturous  contemplation  of 
.'future  bliss.  Instead,  they  accuse  persons  so  inclined  of 
other-worldliness,  and  point  out  to  them  that  they  are 
not  as  good  as  they  might  be  here  and  now.  So,  for  one 
reason  or  another  we  seldom  give  more  than  a  furtive 
glance  at  that  which  lies  beyond  the  grave.  In  proportion 
as  the  vision  has  gone  from  the  mind,  the  sense  has  faded 
from  the  soul.  The  old  picture  of  heaven  has  become  al¬ 
together  inadequate,  and  no  other  has  been  put  in  its 
place.  Considering  the  sudden  transition  through  which 
the  world  has  been  passing,  possibly  this  state  of  affairs 
was  inevitable. 

4.  The  growing  habit  of  classifying  the  future  with  things 

unknown  and  unknowable 

At  last  there  has  arisen  in  the  Church  a  considerable 
class  that  strives  to  discourage  any  effort  to  inquire  into 
the  future  life.  “  One  world  at  a  time  ”  is  their  motto. 
The  future  is  classed  among  things  unknown  and  unknow¬ 
able.  This  type  of  mind  is  trying  to  arouse  interest  in 
the  present  by  drawing  attention  from  the  future. 

Said  a  woman  professor  to  a  student : 

“  If  ministers  would  talk  less  of  things  about  which 
they  can  know  nothing  and  do  more  to  help  those  about 
them,  they  would  show  more  sense  and  accomplish  a  great 
deal  more  good.” 

I  think  I  know  some  ministers  who  might  do  more  for 


LOSING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  149 

their  environments,  but  I  happen  to  know  of  none  who 
talk  much  about  the  future.  This  teacher  so  enthusiastic 
over  a  fragment  of  the  truth  has  never  suspected  how 
meager  and  one-sided  her  education  is.  She  has  not 
grasped  the  thought  of  our  age  which  recognizes,  above 
everything  else,  the  unity  and  solidarity  of  things.  So 
she  protests  against  any  rounded-out  conception  of  life. 
It  is  not  strange,  therefore,  that  immortality  is  to  her  a 
disagreeable  theme  that  she  would  like  to  see  tabooed. 

A  professional  man  once  said  to  me: 

“  When  you  came  on  the  train  the  other  day  our  mu¬ 
tual  friend,  Mr.  A.  said,  ‘  There  is  the  Parson,’  and  then 
nudging  me  remarked,  4  Say,  he  knows  no  more  about 
the  other  world  than  we  do,  does  he?’  ” 

“  So  that  is  what  you  were  talking  about,”  I  replied. 
“  Well,  I  am  surprised.  I  thought  you  were  modern 
men,  and  knew  that  there  is  no  other  world.  Science, 
philosophy,  religion,  and  common  sense,  teach  us  that  there 
is  but  one  world,  a  uni-verse.  We  now  live  in  all  the  world 
there  is.  But  since  we  have  not  penetrated  it  very  deeply, 
if  your  friend  had  remarked  that  the  minister  was  no  more 
developed  than  you,  or  that  he  had  gone  no  deeper  into 
the  meaning  of  the  universe  than  you,  he  would  at  least 
have  been  on  debatable  ground.  When,  however,  two 
men  of  your  opportunities  could  sit  there  and  talk  about 
another  world,  I  am  ashamed  of  you.  The  universe  is 
as  much  one  as  my  watch  is  one.  Every  particle  of  it 
enfolds  us  continually  and  never  ceases  to  pour  its 
energies  through  us.  Every  part  of  the  universe  is  beat- 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


150 

in g  upon  us  to  waken  us,  if  possible,  to  its  meaning.  If 
I  live  for  an  eternity,  I  shall  be  in  the  same  world  as  now, 
and  what  I  truthfully  know  about  it  now  will  still  be  true 
after  my  body  has  decayed.  God’s  one-world  is  the  only 
world.” 

No  wonder  that  people  become  confused  and  mixed  up 
with  their  plural  worlds,  and  broken  fragments  of  worlds. 

5.  An  inadequate  conception  of  the  Kingdom  of  God 

More  than  a  generation  ago  it  came  to  us  like  a  new 
discovery  that  while  Jesus  rarely  spoke  of  heaven,  the 
expression,  “  Kingdom  of  Heaven,”  was  continually  on 
His  lips.  This  discovery  turned  the  whole  tide.  And 
since  then,  “  The  Kingdom  of  God  on  Earth  ”  has  been 
the  theme  of  the  Church. 

While  heartily  agreeing  with  this  discovery,  and 
sympathizing  with  the  new  aim,  I  still  seriously  doubt 
whether  we  have  seen  the  kingdom  of  heaven  in  any  such 
full-orbed  sense  as  Jesus  intended  we  should.  Too  often 
we  unwittingly  preach  a  kingdom  of  earth  on  earth;  we 
leave  something  out.  That  which  Jesus  preached  was 
somehow  more  religious.  Surely  it  is  an  inadequate 
kingdom  of  God  when  it,  as  so  often  happens,  degener¬ 
ates  into  a  mere  scientific  cooking-school,  or  a  mere  scien¬ 
tific  system  of  sanitation,  or  a  mere  several  other  things 
lacking  in  God  motive  and  God  consciousness.  The 
Kingdom  of  God  is  more  than  a  program  of  social  serv¬ 
ice;  it  is  a  God-filled  and  God-ruled  society.  A  genuine 


LOSING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  15 1 

Kingdom  of  God  on  earth  will  be  pervaded  by  a  heavenly 
atmosphere.  Even  a  social  religion  may  become  so  un¬ 
social  as  to  eliminate  the  Head  of  society;  it  may  consign 
Him  to  the  oblivion  of  forgetfulness. 

No  woman,  whose  duty  it  is  to  be  a  cook,  can  be  a 
perfect  Christian  while  she  is  careless  about  the  prepara¬ 
tion  of  food  for  her  family.  Yet  one  may  be  a  scientific 
cook  without  being  a  Christian.  It  requires  more  than 
beautiful,  material  conditions  to  make  the  kingdom  of 
God  on  earth. 

I  know  families  with  beautiful  mahogany  dining  rooms 
and  all  that  goes  with  them,  whose  good  food  is  so  well 
cooked  that  it  almost  melts  in  their  mouths,  and  yet  they 
give  God  no  thanks.  Indeed,  there  are  those  thus  situated 
who  think  nothing  about  God. 

This  is  not  meant  to  imply  that  the  conditions  of 
poverty  and  ignorance  are  any  more  favorable  to  a  Chris¬ 
tian  life. 

Coming  one  day  from  a  poor  family’s  home  across  the 
street,  my  little  son  said : 

“Papa,  does  Mr.  R.  love  the  Lord?”  When  I  told 
him  that  I  did  not  know,  “  Well,”  he  replied,  “  I  don’t 
believe  he  does,  because  he  sat  down  at  the  table  to-day 
with  his  coat  off  and  never  thanked  the  Lord  for  his  food. 
He  just  looked  around  and  said,  ‘  Pass  the  taters,’  and 
that  is  all  he  said.” 

From  what  I  knew  of  this  poor  man,  he  was  probably 
neither  more  nor  less  a  pagan  than  the  man  with  a  ma¬ 
hogany  dining  room.  The  doctrine  of  the  kingdom  of 


152  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

God  on  earth,  with  but  little  consciousness  of  God,  is 
surely  increasing  among  rich  and  poor,  both  in  the  Church 
and  out  of  the  Church.  And  as  personal  acquaintance 
with  God  goes,  the  assurance  of  immortality  invariably 
fades. 

Many  women,  of  varying  degrees  of  intelligence  and 
social  standing,  are  doing  commendable  social  work  for 
the  love  of  humanity  with  but  dim  consciousness  of  God. 
It  has  come  to  pass  that  fine  women  may  whisk  about  in 
silks  and  limousines  visiting  day-nurseries  and  the  like 
without  bending  the  knee  to  the  Father  or  remembering 
that  the  babies  are  God’s  little  ones.  Yet  no  right- 
minded  person  wishes  to  diminish  the  social  service  of  this 
day  by  whomsoever  rendered.  On  the  contrary,  he  feels 
that  the  Church  which  overlooks  the  poor  babies  should 
have  a  millstone  hanged  about  its  neck  and  be  cast  into 
the  sea.  Nevertheless,  a  kingdom  without  the  conscious¬ 
ness  of  God  in  the  hearts  of  its  subjects  will  never  succeed 
in  saving  the  assurance  of  immortality.  The  old  religion 
could  not  succeed  without  a  bottom,  and  the  new  religion 
will  not  succeed  without  a  top.  This  topless  kingdom, 
spreading  far  beyond  the  Church,  is  making  many  feel 
that  they  are  better  off  without  the  Church.  Some  of 
these  are  sincere  and  substantial  men  and  women,  while 
others  of  them  are  extremely  superficial. 

Many  of  the  latter  class  will  tell  you  with  real  self¬ 
appreciation  that  they  look  after  poor  stray  kitties,  and 
feed  the  birdies  in  cold  weather,  and  in  fact  befriend  all 
the  animals.  Really,  they  are  too  busy  with  good  works 


LOSING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  153 

among  animals  and  needy  people  to  go  to  church  and, 
as  one  of  them  told  me,  they  are  not  among  the  narrow¬ 
minded  people  anyway  “  Who  believe  in  hell.” 

This  generation  needs  to  learn  the  necessity,  and  the 
sane  psychology,  of  Christian  experience.  To  put  it 
plainly,  it  should  be  converted  to  God.  With  God  in  our 
thoughts  and  affections  we  can  hardly  be  too  careful  about 
the  material  side  of  His  kingdom;  for  the  religion  of 
Jesus  means  the  spiritualizing  of  the  material,  all  the  way 
from  our  bodies  to  the  end  of  the  material  forces  that 
are  at  our  command.  Though  ever  so  many  cups  of 
cold  water  be  given,  if  they  are  not  given  in  His  name 
or  with  a  consciousness  of  His  share  in  the  gift,  the  kindly 
deed  will  not  impart  to  us  Christ’s  assurance  of  life 
eternal. 

6.  We  automatically  lose  the  assurance  of  the  future 
when  we  lose  the  reality  of  the  present 

Because  he  has  nothing  in  his  ice-bound  world,  the  Es¬ 
kimo  hopes  for  nothing.  There  is  nothing  within  his 
present  grasp  that  suggests  great  things  to  come. 
Whereas,  the  civilized  man  hopes  for  a  glorious  future 
not  yet  attained  because  he  sees  that  the  present  warrants 
such  a  hope.  No  one  can  reasonably  hope  for  that  which 
the  present  does  not  justify.  Only  let  him  be  sure  that  he 
knows  the  present.  Men  who  miscalculate  the  future 
usually  do  so  because  they  fail  to  apprehend  the  present 
facts.  We  cannot  judge  what  the  fruit  will  be  unless  we 


154 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


know  the  particular  variety  of  tree.  The  future  history 
of  the  universe  depends  upon  whether  there  is  a  God  now. 
Either  there  is  or  there  is  not  a  God.  If  there  is,  the  one 
not  knowing  Him  has  a  very  superficial  knowledge  of  the 
world  that  now  is.  A  God-projected  and  a  God-filled 
world  will  have  a  very  different  future  from  a  world  of 
mindless  ether  and  mindless  electrons.  The  discovery  of 
electricity  and  some  knowledge  of  its  behavior  were  neces¬ 
sary  before  men  could  dream  of  electric  cars  and  electric 
lights.  When  electricity  and  some  of  the  laws  were 
known,  however,  the  dream  was  unavoidable,  and  like 
many  another  rational  prediction  it  has  come  true.  When 
the  thought  of  God  fades,  Christian  hope  dies.  If  one 
is  only  agnostic  with  reference  to  the  existence  of  God, 
he  is  simply  agnostic  on  the  subject  of  immortality.  In 
exact  proportion  as  we  lose  connection  with  the  deeper 
realities  of  the  present,  we  forfeit  insight  into  the  future. 
As  one  who  is  entirely  ignorant  of  chemistry  has  no 
criteria  by  which  to  judge  the  future  of  chemistry,  so  the 
one  having  no  personal  consciousness  of  God,  nor  clear 
vision  of  the  deeper  meanings  of  life,  has  no  data  for  a 
rational  prediction  of  the  future.  Paul  said  that  the 
rulers  of  his  day  did  not  know  spiritual  things,  or  they 
“  Would  not  have  crucified  the  Lord  of  glory.”  Not 
knowing  God,  naturally  they  did  not  recognize  His  pur¬ 
pose  when  they  met  it  in  the  character  and  teachings  of 
Jesus;  so  they  ignorantly  put  Jesus  to  death.  Things 
which  their  eyes  saw  not  and  their  ears  heard  not,  were 
recognized  by  those  who  knew  God.  “  For  who  among 


LOSING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  155 

men  knoweth  the  things  of  a  man,  save  the  spirit  of  the 
man,  which  is  in  him?  Even  so  the  things  of  God  none 
knoweth,  save  the  Spirit  of  God.  But  we  received  the 
spirit  which  is  from  God ;  that  we  might  know.” 

Our  expectations  for  the  future  always  rise  sponta¬ 
neously  out  of  our  vision  of  the  present.  Whether  it  will 
rain  within  the  next  forty-eight  hours  I  can  but  imper¬ 
fectly  predict  because  I  recognize  but  a  few  vague 
weather  conditions.  The  weather  bureau,  however,  with 
many  more  present  facts  at  its  command  may  predict 
with  far  greater  certainty. 

The  man  who  knows  nothing  but  a  material  universe 
cannot  believe  in  immortality.  Any  effort  to  convince 
him  is  but  a  waste  of  breath.  If  he  is  right  in  thinking 
that  the  universe  has  no  soul,  then  he  is  right  in  believing 
that  there  is  no  future  life. 

The  Soul  —  granting  that  it  has  a  Soul  —  is  the  best 
part  of  the  universe.  To  have  lost  God,  therefore,  is  to 
have  lost  the  best  part  of  reality.  And  the  loss  does  not 
end  here,  for,  in  the  best  sense,  we  have  lost  the  world 
also.  Though  its  chemistry  and  physics  remain  the  same, 
its  higher  meaning  and  finer  uses  no  longer  exist,  for  us, 
when  God  is  eliminated.  To  comprehend  the  universe 
we  must  know  it  philosophically,  poetically,  and  reli¬ 
giously,  as  well  as  scientifically.  Some  unwisely  think  that 
to  know  it  scientifically  and  poetically  is  enough.  If  the 
forces  of  nature  are  energies  proceeding  from  an  Infinite 
Mind,  and  if  we  might  so  use  these  forces  as  to  express 
His  wisdom  and  love  in  all  human  relations,  then  the 


156  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


universe  is  fundamentally  different  from  the  atheist’s 
world.  The  one  who  does  not  recognize  an  infinite  Mind 
of  love  and  righteousness,  must  prostitute  the  world  to 
uses  lower  than  the  highest.  And  as  soon  as  he  does 
this  he  has  not  only  lost  the  Soul  of  the  universe,  but 
in  the  very  finest  sense  he  has  lost  the  body  of  the  uni¬ 
verse  as  well.  On  such  a  poor  foundation,  his  common 
sense  saves  him  from  the  folly  of  trying  to  build  a  temple 
that  pierces  the  skies.  He  may  still  remain  a  gentleman, 
and  have  a  most  kindly  and  unselfish  disposition  within 
certain  limits,  but  at  a  thousand  points  he  will  find  his 
will  at  right  angles  with  the  one  who  lives  in  a  different 
world, —  in  a  world  that  warrants  the  long  look.  I  have 
experienced  the  world  from  both  points  of  view.  And 
though  my  common  conduct  did  not  vary  greatly,  yet 
when  I  was  deeply  conscious  of  God,  and  saw  the  uni¬ 
verse  all  vibrant  with  His  thought  and  love,  my  life  in 
its  inner  meaning  and  quality  was  different  from  center 
to  circumference. 

Here,  then,  is  the  crux  of  the  whole  matter.  In  so  far 
as  we  have  lost  the  assurance  of  a  future  life,  it  is  be¬ 
cause  we  have  lost  so  much  of  the  present  that  what 
remains  of  it  is  not  sufficient  to  arouse  a  lively  anticipa¬ 
tion  of  immortality.  True,  our  sense  of  reality  is  op¬ 
pressively  intense  in  the  physical  realm;  we  clutch,  with 
death-like  grip,  that  from  which  the  Soul  has  escaped. 
But  the  husk  will  not  support  spiritual  life  nor  give  as¬ 
surance  of  the  life  to  come. 


CHAPTER  VI 


FINDING  THE  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY 

How  shall  we  find  the  assurance  of  immortality? 

i.  We  automatically  find  the  assurance  of  the  future  when  we 
find  the  reality  of  the  present. 

Naturally,  assurance  will  be  found,  if  at  all,  where  it 
was  lost.  We  shall  automatically  find  the  assurance  of 
the  future  when  we  find  the  reality  of  the  present. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  all  professing  Christians  have  a 
firm  grasp  on  reality;  for  when  religion  is  no  more  than 
a  superficial  formality,  its  credulous  devotees  experience 
neither  truth  nor  doubt;  they  are  religious  automatons. 
But  if  we  do  not  allow  such  Christians  to  attract  us  to 
heaven,  neither  should  we  permit  them  to  drive  us  to 
perdition. 

If  one  succeeds  in  finding  God,  if  he  learns  to  grasp 
the  religious  significance  of  the  universe,  and  if  he 
achieves  a  personal  experience  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
assurance  of  the  future  will  come  unbidden  and  unsought. 
These  great  and  present  realities  are  the  gateway  to  life 
and  the  guarantee  of  good  things  to  come.  Only  let  one 
find,  assimilate ,  and  build  upon  this  three-fold  present, 
and  the  soul  will  blossom  into  hope. 

IS  7 


158  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Some  reasons  why  the  quest  for  reality  is  not  more  fre¬ 
quently  and  earnestly  undertaken. 

a.  The  moral  failure  of  Christians 

Some  refrain  from  any  effort  to  make  religious  attain¬ 
ments  because  of  the  moral  failures  among  professing 
Christians.  But  there  are  many  failures  in  business,  edu¬ 
cation,  citizenship,  and  every  other  line  of  human  en¬ 
deavor  that  is  worth  while.  On  that  basis  a  person  would 
refuse  to  live  at  all.  We  all  know  there  are  some  re¬ 
ligious  sceptics  who  are  much  more  upright  than  some 
believers.  From  a  Christian  civilization  they  have  inher¬ 
ited  strong  wills,  a  deep  moral  sense,  and  physical  bodies 
with  no  marked  weakness.  Many  of  them  have  kindly 
dispositions  and  charming  graces.  Among  their  most 
helpful  friends  and  favorite  authors  they  count  many  of 
the  best  religious  people.  They  themselves  are  one  of  the 
best  by-products  of  Christianity.  If  they  did  not  live 
in  a  Christian  civilization  they  would  not  be  what  they 
are.  Many  such  are  doubters  simply  because  they  have 
not  found  their  religious  teachers.  They  have  probably 
encountered  that  which,  for  their  type  of  mind,  was  a 
very  unfortunate  religious  environment.  It  would  have 
been  better  for  some  people  if  they  had  had  different 
parents,  or  a  different  Church,  or  both.  However,  it  is 
a  simple  matter  of  observation  that  a  large  percentage  of 
humanity  is  weak  whether  believing  or  sceptical,  whether 
it  goes  to  Church  or  does  not  go  to  Church.  A  man  who 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  159 

has  a  real  saint  in  him  may  at  the  same  time  have  seven 
devils  in  himself  to  fight.  With  no  patriotic  ideals  or 
emotions  some  men  can  keep  morally  straight,  while  some 
noble  self-sacrificing  patriot  may,  if  he  is  not  very  care¬ 
ful,  fall  into  the  ditch.  It  is  fortunate  that  some  doubters 
are  so  good,  and  a  pity  that  some  Christians  are  so  bad ; 
but  regardless  of  just  how  good  or  bad  any  of  us  is,  if 
this  universe  has  a  Soul  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
that  we  make  His  personal  acquaintance  and  learn  His 
plans;  and  if  in  anything  we  have  deviated  from  His 
plans  we  should  humbly  repent  and  get  in  line  with  the 
Power  that  must  ultimately  break  us  if  it  cannot  make  us. 
If  one  is  strong  enough  to  perform  ordinary  duties  with¬ 
out  the  conscious  help  of  God,  that  is  no  reason  why  he 
should  run  away  from  his  Father  and  treat  Him  with 
silent  contempt.  The  Father  desires  the  company  of  His 
son,  and  in  a  thousand  ways  great  and  small  needs  His 
son’s  help. 

b.  Because  the  average  Christian  cannot  answer 

technical  questions 

Others  regard  the  religious  verities  lightly  because  the 
average  Christian  cannot  answer  technical  questions  per¬ 
taining  to  his  faith.  Yet  there  is  not  one  cultivated  per¬ 
son  in  a  thousand  that  can  answer  technical  questions 
concerning  the  material  universe  in  which  we  all  live. 
The  most  highly  civilized  and  prosperous  community  suc¬ 
ceeds  simply  because  it  relies  on  the  technical  knowledge 


160  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

of  the  few.  Most  of  us  know  electricity  neither  prac¬ 
tically  nor  theoretically.  Even  among  practical  elec¬ 
tricians,  how  many  could  answer  more  than  the  simplest 
questions?  It  requires  no  profound  knowledge  of  the 
subject  to  wire  a  house  and  give  its  occupants  light  and 
comfort.  Yet  the  practical  electrician  knows  as  well  as 
the  expert  that  he  is  dealing  with  a  real  force,  and  may 
be  able  to  wire  the  house  better  than  the  theoretical  elec¬ 
trician  himself  could  do.  How  many  good  cooks  are 
there  who  could  chemically  analyze  the  food  which  they 
have  prepared  for  their  families  ?  It  is  absurd  to  expect 
the  average  Christian  to  go  into  all  the  psychology  and 
philosophy  of  his  religion;  as  it  is  absurd  to  deny  the 
reality  of  his  experience  because  a  full  analysis  is  not 
forthcoming.  The  large  majority  of  people  have  neither 
time  nor  qualifications  to  go  into  an  exhaustive  and  tech¬ 
nical  examination  of  the  philosophy  and  science  of  re¬ 
ligion,  any  more  than  they  have  to  go  into  the  philosophy 
and  science  of  the  material  world.  Fortunately,  a  more 
practical  way  stands  wide  open  to  them.  Because  men 
are  men,  they  may  possess  the  great  realities  before  they 
can  adequately  explain  them.  They  know  the  stars  before 
they  are  astronomers.  They  have  an  implicit  knowledge 
of  God  which  under  right  conditions  becomes  explicit. 
They  have  intuitions  and  common  sense,  the  foundation 
of  all  knowledge.  It  is  their  privilege,  likewise,  to  put 
things  to  the  severe  test  of  use.  In  the  material  world 
men  risk  their  lives  and  fortunes  on  the  truth  of  sciences 
of  which,  at  first  hand,  they  are  totally  ignorant.  But 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  161 


by  so  doing  they  find  themselves  the  richer  and  the  wiser. 
Likewise,  the  Christian  multitudes  who  take  the  spiritual 
world  practically,  find  themselves  the  recipients  of  untold 
blessings.  Their  knowledge,  to  be  sure,  is  only  practical, 
but  it  is  their  knowledge,  and  they  would  be  willing  to 
die  for  it  if  necessary.  One  may  have  the  reality  without 
the  analysis,  or  he  may  have  the  analysis  without  the 
reality,  or,  unfortunately,  he  may  have  neither.  The 
happiest  possible  situation  is  where  he  has  both.  A  man 
may  be  justified  in  giving  money  and  labor  for  the  support 
and  extension  of  religion  without  himself  being  a  psy¬ 
chologist  or  a  theologian.  Just  as  the  men  who  have 
given  the  most  money  for  the  advancement  of  the  sciences 
do  not  know  enough  about  these  sciences  to  teach  them. 
Yet  we  do  not  call  them  fools;  we  highly  esteem  them 
as  philanthropists  and  benefactors.  They  are  often  as 
intellectual  in  the  practical  world  as  the  scholars  are  in 
the  scientific  world.  The  practical  and  theoretical  every¬ 
where  supplement  each  other. 

There  should  be  experts,  by  all  means,  who  know  re¬ 
ligion  technically  as  well  as  practically.  And  to  these 
many  inquiring  troubled  minds  should  go  for  help,  just 
as  the  business  man  goes  to  the  experts  for  knowledge 
that  lies  beyond  him.  Some  sceptics  take  special  delight 
in  perplexing  common  Christians  with  the  deepest  phil¬ 
osophical  aspects  of  their  faith.  Why  do  they  not  go 
to  the  experts  ?  Many  religious  doubters  never  go  to  any 
one  with  their  problems;  while  others  of  a  more  super¬ 
ficial  character  go  to  the  religious  quacks,  and  thence- 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


162 

forward  help  to  swell  the  ranks  of  some  ridiculous  or 
fanatical  religion. 

It  is  doubtless  true  that  almost  every  one  could  find 
his  religious  teacher  if  only  he  would  look  for  him;  one 
who  could  interpret  religion  in  such  a  way  as  to  satisfy 
his  reason  and  meet  his  deepest  need.  If  there  is  any 
possible  way  of  bringing  honest  doubters  and  religious 
experts  together  it  should  be  done  for  their  mutual  bene¬ 
fit.  But  here  is  one  of  the  gravest  practical  difficulties 
that  we  have  to  face. 

c.  Antiquated  forms  irritating  to  sceptics 

Crude  ideas  still  cling  to  the  popular  statements  of 
religion  as  barnacles  cling  to  a  ship.  This  unfortunate 
and  unnecessary  fact  drives  away  from  the  Church  many 
conscientious  minds.  Though  not  many  of  us  are  scien¬ 
tists,  yet  we  all  live  in  a  fairly  well  reconstructed  material 
universe.  Without  knowing  any  mathematical  astron¬ 
omy  our  general  notion  of  the  heavens  is  fairly  correct. 
Ignorant  as  we  are  of  physics  and  chemistry,  yet  we  have 
in  our  minds  a  moderately  fair  picture  of  a  world  that 
is  compounded  from  the  gases.  The  old  picture  of  the 
material  world  has  given  place  to  the  new,  even  among 
the  uneducated  masses.  But,  sad  to  say,  the  simple,  com¬ 
plete  picture  of  the  reconstructed  religious  world  has 
never  been  given  to  the  masses.  Sometimes  we  lug  in  a 
little  of  the  dry  and  technical  science  that  lies  back  of  the 
new  picture,  but  rarely  do  we  give  the  picture  concrete 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  163 

and  whole,  unburdened  and  untrammeled  by  the  techni¬ 
cal  substratum.  As  a  result  only  a  handful  of  Christians 
have  the  simple,  modern  conception  of  religion  in  any¬ 
thing  like  complete  form.  Yet  no  task  should  be  easier 
or  more  delightful  than  just  this  work  of  giving  the  people 
a  complete  picture  of  the  religious  world  in  which  we 
live.  Recently  I  met  a  man  who  is  a  good  worker  in  one 
of  the  most  prominent  churches  in  America,  and  I  was 
surprised  to  find  that  his  ideas  of  religion  compare  with 
those  of  his  renowned  minister  as  the  Ptolemaic  astron¬ 
omy  compares  with  the  Copernican, —  and  yet  he  has  no 
realization  of  the  discrepancy.  His  capable  minister 
should  draw  the  picture  for  him.  A  great  many  sincere 
and  genuine  churches  greatly  irritate  the  sceptical  mind 
because  of  the  forms  in  which  their  religious  ideas  are 
clothed.  Like  a  grapevine  that  is  never  trimmed,  their 
faith  is  free  and  easy  and  of  luxurious  growth.  To  the 
critical  doubter  the  suffocating  atmosphere  of  the  Church 
seems  unreasoning  and  unreasonable.  It  is  not  that  he 
wants  something  learned,  but  something  that  does  not 
rough  his  mind  into  a  state  of  irritation.  The  mischief 
done  is  great. 

It  is  the  imperative  duty  of  some  people  to  go  to  an¬ 
other  Church ;  and  in  some  cases  to  another  denomination. 
Though  the  fault  is  on  both  sides,  yet  they  will  never  be 
able  to  make  a  harmonious  adjustment. 

Instead  of  finding  a  church,  or  some  specialist,  that 
could  teach  him,  unfortunately  and  untruthfully  the  scep¬ 
tic  usually  decides  that  it  is  impossible  for  him  to  be  a 


164 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Christian.  So  he  resolves  to  be  what  he  regards  as  an 
upright  man  and  lets  it  go  at  that.  But  he  does  not  find 
the  great  realities,  except  in  a  most  vague  and  attenuated 
form. 

d.  The  provincialism  of  sceptics 

The  most  hopeless  situation  of  all  is  where  sceptics 
consort  almost  wholly  with  sceptics.  They  can  soon  kill 
the  last  remnant  of  religion  that  lingers  in  their  hearts. 
The  provincialism  of  doubt  may  be  even  greater  than  the 
provincialism  of  a  bigoted  faith.  In  their  hearts,  scep¬ 
tics  often  try  and  condemn  intelligent  Christians  with  but 
slight  knowledge  of  what  the  Christians  believe  and  with 
even  less  knowledge  of  why  they  believe  it.  Many  doubt¬ 
ing  minds  take  it  for  granted  that  all  Christians  conceive 
of  religion  as  they  themselves  did  when  they  were  chil¬ 
dren  in  Sunday  school,  or  boys  and  girls  in  a  Junior  En¬ 
deavor  society.  They  think  that  a  little  scientific  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  material  universe  makes  anything  more  than 
agnosticism  impossible.  If  their  knowledge  of  religion 
and  their  philosophical  knowledge  of  the  universe  were 
all  that  is  known,  they  would  be  right.  By  learning  a 
little  more  of  religion,  and  by  acquiring  a  better  philo¬ 
sophical  as  well  as  scientific  knowledge  of  the  material  uni¬ 
verse  many  have  regained  their  grasp  on  God.  For  such 
as  have  come  to  see  God  as  the  center  and  Soul  of  all 
things,  natural  science,  instead  of  being  a  hindrance  to, 
has  become  one  illuminating  phase  of  theology.  As  a 
Christian  believer,  I  find  myself  continually  going  to  ex- 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  165 

pert  scientists  to  ascertain  their  latest  findings.  And  I 
can  truthfully  say  that,  from  a  religious  point  of  view, 
their  verifiable  report  is  always  interesting.  It  is  good 
news.  It  lifts  me  to  higher  levels  of  thought,  to  nobler 
planes  of  social  conduct,  and  to  loftier  heights  of  fellow¬ 
ship  with  God  and  men.  God’s  blessings  on  any  man  that 
discovers  anything  new  in  God’s  world  and  reports  it 
correctly ! 

A  friend  once  said  to  me : 

“  I  do  not  know  whether  there  is  a  God  or  not,  and 
I  am  not  going  to  bother  my  head  about  it;  I  am  just 
going  to  wait  and  see.” 

If,  however,  he  finds  himself  alive  after  the  death  of 
his  body,  I  venture  to  assert  that  the  old  problem  of  find¬ 
ing  God  will  still  confront  him.  We  may  rest  assured 
that  there  is  no  ghost-God  to  be  seen  after  death.  This 
man  has  utterly  misconceived  of  God  and  of  the  method 
of  finding  Him.  Death  will  not  be  a  substitute  for  spir¬ 
itual  development.  If  ever  he  finds  God  it  will  be  as  a 
Loving  Intelligent  Will,  and  not  as  a  glorious  ghost  on 
which  his  physical  eyes  may  look.  “  God  is  a  spirit,  and 
they  that  worship  Him  must  worship  Him  in  spirit  and 
in  truth.”  If  we  would  know  God  we  must  seek  Him 
as  He  is,  and  not  as  something  which  He  is  not. 

Let  the  sceptic  consider  well  this  statement:  So  far 
as  we  can  see,  everything  would  necessarily  appear  just 
as  it  does  if  there  were  a  God.  I  have  never  interrogated 
any  one  who  could  suggest  anything  to  the  contrary.  If 
God  actually  exists,  we  shall  never  know  Him  as  we  know 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


1 66 

man  with  local  form  and  articulate  speech,  unless  we  come 
to  recognize  Him  in  man.  I  dare  say  we  shall  never  be¬ 
come  acquainted  with  God  save  as  we  learn  to  know  Him 
in  our  own  souls,  in  other  people,  and  in  nature.  So  if 
we  ever  expect  to  know  Him  we  would  as  well  put  forth 
the  effort  to  know  Him  now.  If  it  could  be  proved  that 
there  is  a  God  we  should  still  need  to  find  Him.  But  if 
we  find  him  we  have  no  need  of  further  proof.  Our 
problem  then  is  not  one  of  proving,  but  of  finding. 

2.  Equal  striving  for  spiritual  and  material  things  is 

necessary 

All  normal  people  have  senses  which  give  them  phys¬ 
ical  objects.  Without  these,  we  could  not  commence  to 
live  a  rational  life.  But  we  must  acquire  some  sense  to 
make  our  senses  of  value.  Most  of  our  seeing,  in  the 
physical  as  well  as  in  the  spiritual,  is  with  our  sense  and 
not  alone  with  our  senses.  To  achieve  insight  in  any  line 
requires  effort.  The  man  who  has  senses  only,  lacks  the 
insight  of  the  man  who  has  both  sense  and  senses.  There¬ 
fore  we  must  earn  not  only  our  bread  by  the  sweat  of 
our  brow,  but  everything  else  which  has  priceless  worth. 

How  covetous  we  all  are  for  the  material  side  of  things  { 
That  we  may  truthfully  know  and  really  possess  the  ma¬ 
terial  side  of  the  universe,  we  put  forth  prolonged  and 
painful  effort.  Our  striving,  however,  to  know  and  to 
possess  the  Soul  of  the  universe  is  pitifully  meager.  If 
we  strove  no  harder  for  the  former  than  we  do  for  the 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  167 

latter  we  should  be  ignorant  and  poor  beyond  recognition. 
Having  long  neglected  the  Soul  of  the  universe  we  look 
up,  occasionally,  and  demand  proof  that  the  world  has  a 
Soul.  However,  it  is  not  proof  that  we  need,  but  reli¬ 
gious  insight.  If  I  ask  proof  that  classical  music  is  beau¬ 
tiful,  I  must  either  take  other  people’s  word  for  it  or  else 
acquire  musical  sense  by  living  with  classical  music  and 
classical  musicians.  The  senses  of  the  average  man  pro¬ 
nounce  classical  music  very  ugly.  Mathematical  or  busi¬ 
ness  ability  will  not  suffice;  it  will  more  likely  hinder, 
because  as  a  rule  it  has  been  acquired  at  the  expense  of 
musical  development.  There  are  those  who  actually  make 
fun  of  classical  music  without  any  realization  of  their 
personal  defect  which  they  are  advertising.  Charles 
Darwin  was  probably  never  surpassed  in  the  amount  of 
data  gathered  for  scientific  observations.  And  yet,  there 
are  persons  in  every  civilized  village  in  the  world  who  are 
better  judges  of  music;  and  Paul,  to  say  nothing  of 
Jesus,  was  so  far  ahead  of  him  in  religious  insight  that 
the  contrast  is  painful.  In  every  realm  of  knowledge 
known  to  man,  so-called  proof  is  but  seeing  and  under¬ 
standing  and  appreciating.  Logic  does  not  prove  any¬ 
thing.  If  for  our  major  premise  we  say  all  normal  men 
are  rational,  we  rest  our  belief  on  observation.  If  for 
our  minor  premise  we  affirm  that  here  is  a  normal  man, 
we  do  so  on  the  ground  of  observation.  If  both  obser¬ 
vations  are  correct,  then  we  need  no  proof  that  the  man 
of  the  minor  premise  is  rational  because  it  is  self-evident. 
Logic  is  often  a  convenient  method  of  seeing,  but  it  is 


1 68  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

never  a  proof.  Even  in  mathematics  we  do  not  prove, 
we  see.  Not  a  single  proposition  in  mathematics  is 
proved;  its  truth  is  only  perceived.  The  so-called  proof 
is  but  a  method  of  separating  the  elements  of  a  condensed 
proposition  so  that  these  elements,  one  by  one,  may  be  rec¬ 
ognized.  The  certainty  began  with  one  or  more  axioms, 
and  proceeded  with  rules  built  upon  observation,  and  the 
certainty  at  every  step  to  the  finish  rested  on  something 
self-evident.  A  prominent  man  assured  me  that  he  could 
prove  that  two  and  two  were  four.  However,  the  first 
thing  I  learned  in  Geometry  was  that  an  axiom  was  too 
self-evident  to  be  capable  of  proof.  The  highly  complex 
methods  which  we  have  devised  for  reducing  intricate 
mathematical  statements  of  their  axiomatic  verities  we 
call  proof,  but  the  term  proof  can  only  be  used  in  this 
accommodated  sense,  for  fundamentally  we  have  proved 
nothing;  we  have  simply  increased  our  intelligence  by 
using  a  speedy  and  ingenious  method  of  looking.  When 
it  is  said  that  one  does  not  know  how  to  prove  a  propo¬ 
sition,  it  only  means  that  he  does  not  know  how  to  sep¬ 
arate  and  arrange  the  elements  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  mind  can  see  them.  Fundamentally,  nothing  in  the 
world  is  proved.  When  we  clearly  see,  doubt  flees  and 
certainty  comes.  If  in  anything  a  person  insists  that  he 
can  not  see,  all  we  can  do  is  to  ask  him  to  look  again; 
or  perhaps  we  may  try  holding  the  truth  at  different 
angles,  or  we  may  present  its  elements  in  some  new  order. 
If,  however,  nothing  enables  him  to  see,  then  in  respect 
to  that  particular  thing  he  is  damned.  I  had  a  very  in- 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  169 

telligent  friend  who  was  dismissed  from  an  important 
position  because  he  was  color-blind. 

While  some  have  much  stronger  religious  intuitions 
than  others,  yet  I  think  there  is  no  normal  person  who 
may  not,  if  he  goes  about  it  in  the  right  way,  achieve 
religious  insight.  It  takes  a  great  deal  of  maneuvering 
to  get  some  people  to  see  mathematics.  And  the  average 
sceptic  has  not  put  forth  the  effort  to  see  religious  truth 
that  the  average  pupil  has  to  see  mathematical  truth. 
But  I  know  sceptics  who  have  put  forth  such  effort,  and 
they  have  succeeded.  When  a  sceptic  wins  a  faith,  in  the 
nature  of  the  case  it  is  vital.  Saving  faith  in  religion,  as 
in  everything  else,  is  the  feeling  of  certainty  that  follows 
clear  insight.  And  clear  insight  into  any  subject  depends 
upon  intelligent  study  and  faithful  practice.  While  there 
are  many  things  that  we  positively  know,  and  many  more 
that  we  may  come  to  know,  yet  it  is  through  rational  ex¬ 
perience,  and  not  so-called  proof,  that  we  come  to  know 
them. 

As  hungry  cannibals  feed  upon  the  body  of  a  civilized 
man  with  never  a  thought  that  his  trained  mind  would 
be  worth  more  to  them  than  his  body,  so  multitudes  feed 
upon  the  body  of  the  universe  with  no  thought  of  what 
its  animating  Will  might  be  to  them.  To  all  who  sustain 
such  an  attitude  toward  the  universe,  its  body  looms  large 
while  its  Soul  fades.  As  the  cannibal  missed  the  wealth 
and  civilization  which  the  larger  mind  of  his  victim  could 
have  brought,  so  the  mere  world-consumers  miss  that 
which  the  Soul  of  the  universe  could  abundantly  give.  If 


170 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


it  were  divinely  conceived  of  and  divinely  used,  the  phys¬ 
ical  universe  and  the  social  relations  therein  would  be  in¬ 
finitely  enriched.  But  when  the  Soul  of  the  universe  is 
lost,  and  the  body  of  the  universe  is  narrowed  down  to 
the  temporal  uses  of  the  materialistic  mind,  we  have  lost 
the  best  part  of  reality. 

But  if  we  know  what  God  and  the  world  are  to-day, 
we  have  a  solid  basis  for  knowing  what  they  will  be 
to-morrow.  The  future  is  not  a  new  life  and  a  new  uni¬ 
verse  and  a  new  God,  but  the  present  life  and  the  present 
universe  and  the  present  God  to-morrow.  The  remedy 
for  a  hazy  future  is  a  luminous  present.  Since  God 
carries  all  men,  good  and  bad,  in  His  bosom,  what  a  pity 
it  is  that  we  allow  sloth  and  selfishness  to  deprive  us  of 
His  acquaintance  and  fellowship.  A  little  play-fellow 
once  refused  to  speak  to  me  in  the  presence  of  his  newly 
arrived  cousin.  Finally  he  said  to  his  cousin  with  a  sneer, 
“  Dick  spoke  to  me  three  times,  and  I  never  let  on  that 
I  heard  him.”  This  cut  me  deeply.  But  I  now  confess 
with  sorrow  and  shame  that  the  God  who  carries  me  in 
His  own  life  has  spoken  a  thousand  times  to  me  when  I 
never  let  on  that  I  heard  Him.  I  have  often  tried  to 
forget  Him  that  I  might  enjoy  pleasures  of  which  He 
could  not  approve.  All  souls  are  in  touch  with  God,  and 
in  that  sense  know  Him,  even  when  they  do  not  recog¬ 
nize  who  or  what  it  is  that  touches  them ;  they  are  like  the 
fishes  that  know  the  water  but  can  not  find  the  sea. 

At  last  it  has  come  to  this :  I  have  simply  learned  to 
see  the  universe  that  enfolds  me,  as  the  present  energy 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  171 

of  an  intelligent  Will.  I  see  that  Will  coming  to  human 
expression  in  me,  in  my  Christian  friends,  and  in  a  social 
kingdom  of  infinite  possibilities.  That  which  I  see 
works ,  and  coordinates  with  all  that  I  know,  making  me 
more  glad  and  more  strong  as  the  years  go  by.  God 
seems  to  live  in  me  and  about  me  and  through  me.  That 
in  which  I  live  and  from  which  I  cannot  escape  for  a 
single  moment  of  my  existence,  I  do  not  try  to  prove. 
My  task  is  to  see  it  more  intelligently  and  to  adjust  my¬ 
self  to  it  more  perfectly.  I  can  testify  that  the  more  I 
learn  and  the  better  I  live  the  more  clearly  do  I  see  that 
that  in  which  I  live  has  sense  as  well  as  chemical  ener¬ 
gies  ;  and  that  its  deeper  meaning  and  purpose  may  get  to 
the  surface  through  my  life.  I  no  longer  live  in  a  dirt 
world,  but  in  a  mind  world.  I  believe  neither  in  a  muck 
world,  nor  in  a  ghost-God  who  is  somewhere  in  hiding. 
My  universe  has  come  to  be  a  Will  in  action,  a  Will  that 
enfolds  me  with  its  energies  and  does  not  let  me  go. 
When  the  universe  is  otherwise  conceived  I  do  not  like  it. 
My  intellect  and  instincts  rebel  against  a  universe  mate¬ 
rially  conceived  and  materially  explained.  It  is  too 
twisted  and  dwarfed  for  all  the  facts.  I  am  rationally 
convinced  that  I  see  a  larger  and  better  world. 

To  me,  worship  is  the  deeper  penetration  into  that  Will 
in  whose  enfolding  energies  I  live  and  move  and  have 
my  being.  My  world  has  become  an  oratorio  with  both 
peaceful  and  dramatic  passages.  I  get  nerve  thrills  from 
its  music ;  and  more,  since  its  text  is  written  in  plain  Eng¬ 
lish,  and  not  in  an  unknown  tongue,  I  see  the  majestic 


172 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


pageant  of  a  well-ordered  creation.  I  understand  what 
the  music  is  about,  and  experience  a  joy  infinitely  beyond 
what  I  should  if  the  music  were  without  words.  And 
though  I  meet  some  severe  hardships,  yet  I  am  convinced 
that  this  is  the  best  conceivable  world  in  which  to  begin 
a  life  that  is  to  live  forever.  History  helps  me,  science 
helps  me;  and  I  feel  myself  borne  along  by  a  union  of 
forces  toward  a  glorious  goal.  God  becomes  more  and 
more  articulate  in  me  and  in  all  men  and  in  all  nature 
as  we  learn  to  will  His  will  and  to  use  nature’s  forces 
as  the  instruments  of  our  enlightened  and  purified  spirits. 
I  also  find  that  this  vision  will  not  leave  me  unless  I  live 
beneath  my  best.  If,  therefore,  my  best  life  and  best 
vision  go  together,  it  would  be  folly  to  do  anything  that 
would  break  the  harmony. 

Some  may  say,  “  this  is  nothing  but  the  way  you  see 
things,  why  not  give  us  something  more?  ”  No  one  has 
anything  to  give  beyond  what  he  sees,  unless  he  gives  what 
some  one  else  has  seen;  and  that  is  entirely  uncalled  for 
if  he  can  not  tell  it  better  than  the  other  man  has  done. 
The  only  justification  for  the  appearance  of  another  book 
is  that  the  author  thinks  his  vision  is  sufficiently  like  what 
others  see,  and  at  the  same  time  enough  different  to  make 
it  useful.  “  But  I  can’t  see  it  your  way,”  some  reader 
may  retort.  Well,  I  am  sorry.  Obviously,  if  we  are 
sincere,  it  is  for  us  to  go  on  living  and  preaching  the 
gospel  with  the  hope  that  some  day  he  may  come  to  see. 
The  Master  Himself  was  shut  up  within  the  same  cir¬ 
cumscribed  method.  However,  my  contention  is  that  if 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  173 

vve  have  “  pure  hearts,’’  and  are  not  unnecessarily  con¬ 
fused  in  thought,  or  possessed  of  erroneous  thoughts,  we 
know  God  here  and  now.  This  is  the  luminous  present 
that  clarifies  the  hazy  future.  Not  all  men  know  God, 
but  in  my  opinion  all  may  know  Him  if  they  go  about  it 
in  the  right  way.  Every  human  being,  consciously  or 
unconsciously,  must  submit  to  having  his  life  moulded  by 
a  world  with  a  God  or  by  a  world  without  a  God,  and 
the  finished  life  will  be  as  different  as  the  two  worlds. 

3.  The  final  step  in  the  effort  to  know  God 

To  know  God  and  to  win  the  hope  of  immortality  one 
must  do  more  than  formulate  a  set  of  correct  ideas. 
Correct  ideas  will  greatly  aid,  yet  alone  they  are  utterly 
inadequate.  When  the  scientist  gets  his  idea,  he  proceeds 
to  experiment  with  it.  If  he  does  not  at  first  get  the 
hoped-for  results,  when  the  idea  is  clear  and  impelling, 
he  performs  his  experiments  over  and  over  again  in  the 
most  painstaking  manner.  In  religion,  however,  many 
will  never  go  beyond  the  idea.  They  wish  to  have  the 
idea  fully  established  without  experiment  or  application. 

The  reason  for  this  difference  is  that,  in  religion,  the  ex- 

* 

periment  can  not  be  made  on  carbon  and  zinc,  but  it  must 
be  made  on  the  man’s  own  soul.  The  experiment  cuts 
right  into  his  moral,  emotional,  and  sentimental  nature. 
How  often  a  man  will  admit,  “  I  can  see  no  flaw  in  your 
idea,  but  I  am  not  convinced  that  you  are  right.”  When 
the  scientist  gets  his  idea,  whether  it  is  true  or  not,  he 


174 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


acts  as  if  it  were  true  until  he  has  tried  his  experiments, 
and  does  not  always  abandon  the  idea  when  his  tests  fail ; 
he  realizes  that  the  fault  may  have  been  in  the  experiment. 
Many  of  the  greatest  facts  in  science  have  long  been 
baffled  by  faulty  experiments.  Like  consequences  occur 
in  religion.  If  instead  of  going  on  to  the  experiment 
and  application  one  keeps  repeating  forever  the  question, 
“  I  wonder  if  the  idea  is  true/’  he  will  never  get  any¬ 
where  except  into  a  deeper  state  of  doubt.  A  wise  per¬ 
son  while  putting  his  best  idea  to  the  test  will  say,  “  I  am 
hopeful  that  it  will  turn  out  favorably  because  it  is  such 
an  attractive,  promising  idea.”  Religious  ideas  must  be 
planted  in  the  soul  as  seeds  are  put  into  the  ground,  and 
allowed  to  remain  undisturbed  long  enough  to  germinate. 
It  is  most  fortunate  when  children,  through  experimental 
knowledge,  have  been  taught  to  love  good  types  of  reli¬ 
gion  and  music ;  and  this  while  they  are  receptive,  and  be¬ 
fore  they  are  ensnared  by  a  thousand  other  influences. 
Yet  no  one,  at  any  age,  dare  neglect  his  religious  duties 
and  privileges  if  he  wishes  religion  to  be  an  impelling 
power  in  his  soul.  In  my  youth,  mathematics  was  a  great 
inspiration  to  me,  but  through  neglect  my  mathematical 
lamp  burns  low.  To  keep  mathematics  interesting  and 
alive  one  must  work  problems  applied  to  constructive 
business. 

For  an  example  of  a  man  who  attained  unto  great  re¬ 
ligious  certainty,  take  Paul.  He  experienced  a  radical 
revision  of  his  religious  ideas,  but  his  improved  ideas 
were  not  enough.  To  test  their  validity  he  hurled  himself 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  175 


upon  the  Christian  verities  with  all  the  force  of  his  be¬ 
ing;  and  in  consequence,  found  a  life  of  intimate  friend¬ 
ship  with  God.  Thenceforward  Paul  had  great  things 
to  tell  and  magnificent  things  to  achieve.  “  I  can  do  all 
things  in  Him  that  strengthened  me.”  He  felt  that  noth¬ 
ing  could  break  this  new  bond.  “  For  I  am  persuaded, 
that  neither  death,  nor  life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities, 
nor  things  present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  powers,  nor 
height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creature  shall  be  able  to 
separate  us  from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord.”  His  friendship  with  God  gave  him  a 
new  conception  of,  as  well  as  a  new  interest  in,  society. 
“  So  we,  who  are  many,  are  one  body  in  Christ,  and 
severally  members  one  of  another.”  God  the  Father  “  Is 
over  all,  and  through  all,  and  in  all.”  Paul’s  insight 
broke  all  former  bounds;  it  elevated  him  to  a  boundless 
and  timeless  world;  his  insight  gave  him  a  deep  sense  of 
God  and  became  the  evidence  of  many  things  not  yet 
achieved.  Here  was  personal  assurance  of  God  and  im¬ 
mortality  deep,  strong,  and  jubilant.  Whence  came  it? 
Such  assurance  is  inherent  in  a  life  spiritually  nourished 
and  divinely  employed.  Hope  simply  comes  to  such  a 
soul,  like  color  to  the  ripening  apple. 

This  generation,  though  engaged  in  many  noble  char¬ 
ities,  shows  marked  signs  of  under-nourishment;  its  mind 
is  active  in  the  acquisition  of  material  knowledge,  and  its 
body  is  overworked  in  the  effort  to  accumulate  wealth, 
yet  its  soul  languishes.  And  there  is  a  near  likeness  be¬ 
tween  a  starved  soul  and  a  starved  body. 


176  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Without  hope  or  courage,  a  little  girl  sits  staring  out 
of  great  innocent  eyes  because  she  is  under-nourished. 
This  poor  fading  flower  is  in  striking  contrast  with  the 
little  apple-cheeked  girl  in  bloomers  who  believeth  all 
things  and  hopeth  all  things  and  (as  her  brother  knows) 
can  do  pretty  much  all  things.  This  startling  difference 
requires  no  lengthy  explanation;  nourishment  and  ex¬ 
ercise  tell  the  whole  story. 

So  in  our  day  many  languid  souls  ask,  “  Where  is  thy 
God,  and  who  knows  whether  there  is  a  life  beyond  ?” 

For  an  instructive  contrast,  place  beside  such  a  life  the 
life  of  Jesus.  Living  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  doing 
the  Father’s  will  day  by  day,  seeing  life  in  the  light  of 
divine  love,  and  witnessing  the  effect  upon  those  whom 
he  won  to  a  life  of  love  and  service,  made  it  impossible 
for  Jesus  to  lose  faith  in  immortality.  While  enduring 
the  pain  of  the  cross  He  could  say  to  the  malefactor, 
“  To-day  shalt  thou  be  with  me  in  Paradise.  ” 

The  abundant,  buoyant  life  nourished  in  the  life  of 
God  and  exercised  in  the  service  of  God  and  man,  is  the 
source  of  hope  for  the  life  that  is  yet  to  be. 

4.  Conscious  of  the  existence  of  God,  we  become  certain 

of  immortality 

It  is  clear  as  daylight  that  God  Himself  will  be  defeated 
if  He  loses  His  family.  Attention  has  already  been  called 
to  the  fact  that,  with  the  loss  of  His  family,  God  would 
be  reduced  to  a  child-god  playing  with  a  toy  world ;  and 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  177 


that  without  the  cooperation  of  other  wills  He  could  not 
finish  His  toy.  He  would  be  in  the  position  of  having 
a  world  full  of  raw  material,  material  capable  of  infinite, 
spiritual  and  social  uses,  only  He  would  be  destitute  of 
any  such  help  as  would  enable  Him  to  turn  the  universe 
to  any  account  whatsoever.  If  He  were  left  solitary  in 
the  world,  all  God’s  labors  in  creation  would  lead  directly 
to  shameful  defeat.  Without  other  inhabitants  than 
Himself,  the  universe  would  become  one  colossal  piece 
of  junk.  Yes,  it  would  be  worse  than  that;  even  junk 
has  value  where  there  are  people.  Without  intelligent 
souls  to  inhabit  the  universe,  an  appalling  night  would 
settle  over  all  creation.  Love,  truth,  wisdom,  righteous¬ 
ness,  and  the  last  semblance  of  a  kingdom  would  be  gone; 
and  God  Himself  would  as  well  die  with  His  children; 
He  would  be  destitute  of  character,  and  incapable  of 
completing  that  which  He  began  on  such  a  magnificent 
scale.  Having  a  universe  like  the  present  on  His  hands, 
with  no  one  to  use  it,  nor  to  inhabit  it,  God  would  be  an 
object  worthy  of  ridicule.  The  idea  that  God  could  mur¬ 
der  His  children,  or  carelessly  allow  them  to  perish,  and 
then  spend  an  eternity  in  an  unfinished  and  depopulated 
world  shatters  reason  itself ;  such  a  thought  is  too  appall¬ 
ing  and  abhorrent  to  be  entertained  for  a  moment.  Just 
as  sure  as  there  is  a  God,  we  shall  continue  to  live.  Any¬ 
one  who  believes  in  God  and  does  not  believe  in  im¬ 
mortality  surely  never  gave  two  consecutive  logical 
thoughts  to  the  subject.  (1)  Ultimately  God  will  have 
no  children  at  all ,  (2)  or  He  will  have  an  endless  sue - 


178  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


cession  of  short-lived  children ,  (3)  or  He  will  have  chil¬ 
dren  that  survive  all  changes. 

The  first  obnoxious  idea  we  regard  as  impossible  and 
unthinkable.  A  being  that  could  live  in  perpetual  and 
absolute  solitude,  with  no  more  reason  and  character  than 
such  a  position  would  warrant,  is  not  a  person  that  we 
should  call  God  anyway. 

The  second  thought  of  God  having  an  endless  succes¬ 
sion  of  short-lived  children  is  in  some  respects  worse. 

In  the  autumn  of  nineteen  hundred  and  fourteen,  a 
friend  said  to  me : 

“  What  is  there,  I  should  like  to  know,  in  Christianity  ? 
Here  we’ve  had  the  Christian  religion  for  more  than 
nineteen  hundred  years  —  and  now  this  war.  Oh,  there 
is  nothing  in  it !  ” 

“  No,”  I  answered,  “  we  have  had  Christianity  about 
thirty-three  years;  that  is,  a  few  people  have  had  it.” 

When  asked  what  I  meant  by  such  a  statement,  I  told 
her  that  the  earth  was  inhabited  only  by  children ;  that  the 
average  age  of  all  living  people  was  only  about  thirty- 
three  years;  and  that  they  would  scarcely  get  beyond  the 
spanking  period  until  their  places  would  be  taken  by  an¬ 
other  set  of  babies;  and  that  these  new  babies  would 
scratch  and  bite,  and  be  tempted  to  lie  and  steal  just  as 
all  the  babies  before  them  had  done;  and  that  these  in 
turn  would  soon  give  way  to  another  set  of  babies.  I 
told  her  that  all  the  knowledge  and  character  on  earth 
would,  in  a  few  days,  need  to  be  transferred  to  the  minds 
of  babies  not  yet  born,  or  it  would  entirely  disappear  from 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  179 

the  earth.  “  Moreover,”  I  said,  “  how  do  you  know 
what  Christianity  has  accomplished?  You  have  never 
been  where  the  Christians  have  gone?  What  do  you 
suppose  the  Apostles  and  all  the  Christians  who  are  nine¬ 
teen  hundred  years  old  have  been  doing;  and  the  multi¬ 
tudes  who  are  eighteen  hundred  years  old,  and  so  on  down 
through  all  the  centuries?  You  have  seen  only  a  succes¬ 
sion  of  kindergarten  classes.” 

Though  progress  on  earth  rests  exclusively  upon  suc¬ 
cessive  groups  of  children,  yet  we  gladly  recognize  the 
social  achievements  that  have  been  made  during  human 
history.  We  keenly  realize  also  the  sin  we  all  share  in 
not  having  produced  better  social  conditions  than  now 
exist.  Nevertheless,  I  am  absolutely  certain  that  no  suc¬ 
cession  of  infants  will  ever  be  able  to  put  this  universe  to 
its  highest  possible  uses.  God  will  never  get  far  with 
His  great  cosmic  enterprise  if  He  employs  only  ignorant 
little  children;  and  that  is  clearly  what  He  is  doing  if 
death  ends  all.  What  a  pity  and  shame  it  would  be  to 
throw  away  such  a  universe;  a  universe  of  infinite  intel¬ 
lectual,  spiritual,  and  social  possibilities.  And  what  a 
crime  it  would  be  to  destroy  the  intelligent  beings  who 
could  turn  the  universe  to  full  account  if  only  they  were 
allowed  ample  time.  That  God  will  not  do  anything  so 
foolish  and  wicked  we  may  safely  rest  assured. 

At  the  close  of  one  of  my  services  a  man  came  forward 
and  spoke  to  me,  saying : 

“  If  everybody  were  good,  your  job  would  be  done.” 

“  Now  I  must  scrap  with  you,”  I  said.  “If  all  were 


i8o 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


good,  I  should  have  a  larger  and  a  better  job.  The  good 
people,  and  not  the  bad  people,  have  the  greatest  desire 
for  Church.  Why  is  the  engine  put  on  the  track  at  all 
unless  it  is  to  go  somewhere?  For  what  purpose  does 
anyone  become  a  Christian,  except  to  learn  more  about 
God  and  His  plans  in  order  that  he  may  embody  them  in 
a  kingdom  of  love  and  righteousness?  I  am  too  young 
and  ignorant  to  preach  you  a  very  good  sermon  now,  but 
if  you  will  come  around  where  I  am  a  thousand  years 
from  now,  I  will  preach  you  a  sermon  that  will  make  you 
sit  up  and  take  notice.”  Something  must  be  left  out  of 
the  mental  structure  of  one  who  can  make  such  a  state¬ 
ment  as  this  man  made  to  me.  In  the  face  of  such  con¬ 
ceptions  of  life  one  wonders  that  religion  commands  the 
respect  that  it  does. 

There  is  no  doubt  concerning  the  unlimited  possibilities 
of  the  universe,  nor  of  the  limitless  possibilities  of  the 
human  spirit  if  it  is  given  a  chance.  Standing  as  many  of 
us  do  on  the  threshold  of  these  greater  possibilities,  who 
but  a  devil  could  shut  the  door  in  our  faces?  If  God 
wanted  us  when  we  were  ignorant  and  sinful,  He  wants 
us  even  more  now  that  we  are  a  little  wiser  and  a  little 
better.  If  He  intended  to  crush  us  before  we  were  fairly 
started  why  did  He  ever  raise  us  to  such  hope  by  allow¬ 
ing  us  to  see  the  infinite  possibilities? 

As  to  our  ability  to  survive  the  shock  of  physical  death, 
if  God  made  us  live  in  the  first  place,  He  can  make  us 
live  on  through  all  changes.  If,  however,  God  alone  sur¬ 
vives  He  will  be  quite  worse  off  than  His  dead  children; 


FINDING  SENSE  OF  IMMORTALITY  181 


they  will  simply  be  extinct,  while  He  will  go  to  the 
gloomiest  sort  of  hell.  Who  could  wish  to  be  a  mad  god 
living  alone  through  eternity  in  a  graveyard?  With 
everybody  dead,  and  all  kingdoms  gone,  and  all  work  at 
an  end,  the  universe  would  be  one  vast  —  desolate  —  hell ; 
such  as  a  bad  God  would  deserve.  How  can  any  one  be¬ 
lieve  in  God  and  not  believe  in  immortality  ? 


CHAPTER  VII 


,WHAT  DIFFERENCE  DOES  IT  MAKE  WHETHER  WE  BELIEVE 
IN  IMMORTALITY  IF  WE  LIVE  AS  WE  SHOULD  IN  THIS 
LIFE? 


i .  How  can  one  live  as  he  should  ? 

Some  say,  “  What  difference  does  it  make  whether 
we  believe  in  immortality,  if  we  live  as  we  should  in  this 
life?  ” 

We  also  would  ask  a  question.  How  can  one  live  as 
he  should  if  he  eliminates  God  and  His  plans?  God 
planned  a  “  whole  ”  or  He  planned  nothing. 

We  willingly  admit  that  some  honest  doubters  have  a 
larger  share  in  God’s  life  than  they  realize.  They  have 
heard  the  message  of  truth  and  love,  and  though  con¬ 
fused  as  to  its  origin,  they  accept  much  of  it  as  binding 
upon  their  lives.  In  many  things  they  conscientiously  do 
God’s  will  without  recognizing  it  as  such.  No  one  is  so 
bad  but  that  he  sometimes  obeys  God.  The  meanest  man 
thinks  some  of  God’s  thoughts  after  Him,  and  makes 
some  voluntary  sacrifices.  It  may  never  occur  to  him, 
however,  that  God  has  any  part  in  the  matter.  Yet  no 
one  lives  as  he  should  until  he  lives  the  highest  type  of 
life  of  which  he  is  capable.  It  is  easily  possible  to  be 


WHAT  DIFFERENCE  DOES  IT  MAKE?  183 


doing  good  in  one  direction  while  exerting  a  baneful  in¬ 
fluence  in  another  direction;  and  easier  still  to  be  over¬ 
looking  something  of  grave  importance.  Many  well- 
meaning  persons  pursue  courses  of  action  that  work 
great  harm  to  themselves  and  to  others  in  the  long  run. 
No  one  should  flatter  himself  with  the  thought  that  he  has 
lived  as  well  as  he  should,  until  he  has  lived  as  well  as  he 
could.  No  man  on  the  outside  of  a  business  can  do  what 
he  would  if  he  were  on  the  inside.  A  really  good  man 
must  try  to  know  God  and  the  plans  of  His  kingdom  from 
within;  he  must  take  daily  orders;  he  should  be  strictly 
honest  toward  God;  he  should  feel  the  joy  and  enthusiasm 
that  come  from  partnership  with  God  in  a  great  enter¬ 
prise.  But  this  type  of  good  man  will  most  likely  feel 
sure  of  immortality.  A  lack  of  assurance  is  a  practical 
proof  that  something  has  gone  wrong  in  the  life;  it  may 
be  confusion  or  indifference,  but  more  likely  it  is  both. 

2.  The  difference  in  social  service 

Unless  we  know  what  the  superstructure  is  to  be,  it  is 
impossible  to  lay  the  right  kind  of  a  foundation.  A  good 
foundation  for  a  bungalow  would  not  answer  for  a  fifty- 
story  skyscraper.  And  to  put  a  skyscraper  foundation 
under  a  bungalow  would  be  the  most  foolish  waste  of 
time  and  money.  Paul  gave  up  everything  that  the  aver¬ 
age  good  citizen  holds  dear,  and  spent  his  entire  life  in 
laying  the  nobler  foundation.  Fie  believed  that  the 
superstructure  would  be  stupendous,  and  of  eternal  dura- 


1 84  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


tion.  No  sane  person  would  live  the  life  Paul  lived  un¬ 
less  he  believed  in  immortality.  The  same  is  true  of  Jesus. 
Here  is  a  clear-cut  and  portentous  cleavage  between  good 
people  who  are  Christians  and  good  people  who  are  not 
Christians.  I  do  not  mean  to  intimate  that  a  patriotic 
agnostic  would  be  any  more  reluctant  than  a  believer  to 
die  for  his  country.  It  is  largely  a  question  of  what  he 
considers  is  worth  while.  A  good  sceptic  is  willing  to 
help  educate  and  civilize  in  a  general  way,  but  he  will 
put  forth  no  effort  to  evangelize.  He  does  not  realize  the 
impossibility  of  civilizing  a  non-religious  world.  He 
would  permit  the  whole  race  to  be  non-religious  like 
himself.  He  would  send  all  the  billions  yet  to  be  bom 
into  the  future  life  without  any  knowledge  of  God  or 
any  spiritual  achievement.  His  attitude  would  so  over¬ 
populate  the  future  country  with  dwarfed  and  degraded 
people  that  our  missionary  work  in  a  future  state,  if  we 
are  permitted  to  undertake  it,  would  stagger  a  St.  Paul. 
When  we  see  the  number  and  quality  of  our  neighbors  over 
there  we  shall  realize  the  enormity  of  our  mistake.  And 
still  they  will  come,  the  uncivilized  and  unchristianized 
descendants  of  ancestors  whom  we  neglected.  Almost 
every  civilized  community  in  the  Christian  world  had  its 
foundations  laid  by  missionary  effort;  and  it  has  been 
kept  civilized  by  a  work  very  similar  to  that  of  missions. 
The  firmest  ground  of  hope  for  the  civilization  of  the 
race  is  in  the  combined  educational  and  religious  work  of 
missions.  Darkness  cannot  come  to  the  light,  but  light 
may  go  to  the  darkness.  The  longer  missionary  work  is 


WHAT  DIFFERENCE  DOES  IT  MAKE?  185 

neglected  the  more  of  it  will  there  be  to  do;  and  that 
which  we  leave  undone  here  will  be  accumulating  for  us 
over  there.  With  what  amazement  non-missionary 
Christians  will  face  their  accumulated  missionary  tasks 
in  the  future  life!  It  is  my  impression  that  fifty  per 
cent  of  the  Church  members  do  not  believe  in  missions; 
that  is  to  say,  they  do  not  believe  in  extending  the  reli¬ 
gion  of  Jesus  if  it  involves  any  work  or  expense  for  them. 
They  themselves  will  first  need  to  be  saved,  if  they  are 
to  be  like  their  Master  and  share  any  of  His  vision  and 
compassion.  Then  there  is  probably  another  twenty-five 
per  cent  of  professing  Christians  who  believe  but  little 
in  the  extension  of  the  gospel.  So  between  the  agnos¬ 
tics  and  the  half-Christians,  we  are  not  doing  a  very 
good  piece  of  social  work  throughout  the  world.  And 
this  is  true  whether  we  have  in  mind  the  future  history 
of  society  on  earth,  or  of  society  as  it  shall  migrate  to  our 
future  home.  Whether  or  not  we  have  Christian  as¬ 
surance  of  God  and  the  future  life  makes  a  tremendous 
social  difference  both  for  this  life  and  for  the  life  to 
come.  Unless  we  are  active  and  aggressive  in  the  work 
of  extending  the  kingdom,  every  form  of  vice  will  thrive 
and  multiply  in  our  most  cultivated  and  civilized  com¬ 
munities.  What  hope  then  is  there  for  benighted  peoples 
where  there  is  neither  salt  nor  leaven?  My  experience 
of  thirty  years  in  the  ministry  convinces  me  that  those 
who  have  their  eyes  on  the  whole  earth,  do  several  times 
as  much  work  for  their  home  communities  as  do  those 
who  believe  exclusively  in  home  missions.  It  is  aston- 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


1 86 

ishing  what  narrow  service  so-called  broad-minded  peo¬ 
ple  can  render,  and  what  wide  achievements  can  be  ac¬ 
complished  by  so-called  narrow-minded  people.  Obser¬ 
vation  will  show  that  it  makes  a  vast  difference  in  the 
kind  and  extent  of  social  service  rendered  if  one  believes 
in  God  and  immortality. 

3.  The  difference  in  personal  preparation 

We  tell  our  young  people  entering  high  school  that 
they  should  decide  at  the  outset  whether  they  are  going  to 
college;  and  if  possible  which  college,  as  the  entrance 
requirements  of  colleges  differ.  What  should  we  think 
of  one  who  would  ask,  “  Why  need  I  bother  my  mind 
about  a  possible  college  course  in  the  future  if  I  keep 
busy  and  learn  something  well?  What  difference  can 
it  make?  ”  Yet  we  grow  weary  with  hearing  the  ques¬ 
tion,  “  What  difference  does  it  make  whether  there  is  a 
future  existence  if  we  live  as  we  should  in  this  life?  ” 
Do  they  suppose  that  it  is  easier  to  make  the  freshman 
class  in  heaven  than  it  is  to  make  the  freshman  class  in 
college?  I  dare  say  the  requirements  are  different,  but 
if  heaven  is  worth  going  to  the  requirements  can  hardly 
be  less  specific  or  exacting.  Many  people  who  never 
went  to  college  are  far  advanced  in  things  pertaining  to 
God  and  His  kingdom,  while  some  college  people  do  not 
know  the  a,  b,  c  of  religion.  Their  standing  in  a  future 
life  cannot  possibly  be  the  same. 

Like  many  others,  I  was  brought  up  to  be  honest  and 


WHAT  DIFFERENCE  DOES  IT  MAKE?  187 


hard-working  from  the  beginning.  According  to  ordinary 
standards,  I  was  living  as  I  should.  Yet  when  I  heard 
of  college,  and  had  hopes  of  going  to  one,  a  subtle  change 
came  over  my  whole  life.  While  the  old  duties  were  per¬ 
formed  in  the  old  way,  at  the  same  time  a  complete  revolu¬ 
tion  was  taking  place  within  me.  The  imagination  and 
will  readjusted  everything  to  the  new  and  larger  sphere 
for  which  I  hoped.  Since  no  one  thus  far  had  gone  to 
college  from  our  frontier  community,  some  of  the  neigh¬ 
bors  thought  me  to  be  a  foolish  dreamer.  What  good 
would  it  do  me  anyway,  was  what  they  wanted  to  know, 
since  I  was  already  good  in  “  figgers  ”  ?  When  I  was 
probably  fourteen  years  old,  a  young  man  told  me  of 
some  one  in  another  township  who  was  going  to  study 
Algebra.  "  What  is  that?”  I  asked.  "Well,”  he  said, 
r‘  it  is  something  like  Arithmetic,  only  they  use  letters 
instead  of  figures.”  “  Now  that,”  I  promptly  told  him, 
"  sounds  foolish.  Why  aren’t  figures  good  enough?” 
“  Ah,”  said  the  young  man’s  father,  “  Algebra  is  a  mighty 
fine  study!  You  have  noticed  that  merchants  mark  the 
price  of  their  goods  with  letters.  Now  if  you  know 
Algebra  they  can’t  cheat  you.”  So  I  made  up  my  mind 
then  and  there  that  I  would  study  Algebra. 

My  first  experience  with  college  catalogues,  which 
came  a  little  later,  was  both  interesting  and  amusing.  I 
had  often  wondered  what  there  could  possibly  be  to  study 
beyond  history,  geography,  and  the  three  “  R’s.”  But  at 
last  with  a  college  catalogue  in  my  hands  here  it  was: 
De  Amicitia,  De  Corona,  Trigonometry,  etc.  After 


1 88  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

reading  pages  of  unheard-of  and  unpronounceable 
words,  I  scarcely  knew  whether  it  was  about  something 
to  eat  or  something  to  wear.  Theological  terms  seemed 
plain  English  by  comparison.  In  those  primitive  days  it 
took  one  more  year  of  preparation  to  enter  the  classical 
course  than  it  did  the  scientific.  For  that  reason  alone  I 
promptly  decided  to  take  the  classical.  Although  I  knew 
nothing  of  what  either  course  was  really  about  or  what 
it  was  good  for,  yet  I  did  not  want  to  bear  the  stigma 
of  any  short  cut.  I  wanted  to  learn  it  “  all.” 

Though  it  did  not  take  long  to  learn  what  the  college 
course  was  about,  yet  it  did  take  some  good  faithful  ap¬ 
plication  to  prepare  for  entrance  examinations. 

Many  people  take  their  religion  as  some  lazy  boys  — 
found  in  every  high  school  —  take  their  education. 
These  boys  have  a  very  light  regard  for  college  require¬ 
ments.  John  is  certain  that  he  is  as  good  a  student  as 
Charles  or  a  half  dozen  other  fellows.  He  emphasizes 
the  fact  that  a  “  grind  ”  like  James  is  the  most  unpopu¬ 
lar  fellow  in  school.  All  suggestions  of  future  trouble 
fall  on  deaf  ears.  Every  year  train  loads  of  these  fel¬ 
lows  go  to  take  their  entrance  “  exams.”  Yes,  they  ar¬ 
rive  at  heaven,  or  college,  and  may  chance  to  see  the  lord 
of  the  institution.  But  some  one  calls  them  in  to  test 
their  Latin  eyesight,  and  another  to  determine  their 
mathematical  vision,  and  if  their  power  of  penetration  is 
not  sufficient  for  college  subjects,  back  they  go.  This  is 
a  tragic  experience  for  the  lads,  to  be  sure,  yet  they  must 
learn  that  promotion  means  fitness.  I  have  known  of 


WHAT  DIFFERENCE  DOES  IT  MAKE?  189 

young  men  entering  the  academy  of  the  college  town  be¬ 
cause  they  were  ashamed  to  go  back  home.  They  were 
good  fellows,  but  they  lacked  college  fitness.  Think  of 
a  good  sensible  fellow  who  has  never  studied  arithmetic 
going  to  college!  And  then  think  of  a  good  sort  of  per¬ 
son  going  to  heaven  who  has  never  acquired  the  spiritual 
insight  to  know  God!  A  man  in  college  who  is  mathe¬ 
matically  blind,  and  a  man  in  heaven  who  is  God  blind ! 
If  one  thinks  of  God  as  a  visible  Ghost  in  heaven,  he  will 
overlook  many  of  the  essentials  until  the  pitiful  disillu¬ 
sionment  comes.  And  if  he  thinks  of  the  future  home  as 
a  doll’s  heaven,  he  will  make  no  thorough  preparation  for 
entrance.  When  a  young  girl  was  once  lured  to  a  very 
superstitious  church,  a  friend  said  to  me : 

“Well,  what  difference  does  it  make  —  we  are  all  go¬ 
ing  to  the  same  place.”  But  when  I  asked  her  if  she 
would  be  willing  to  send  her  daughter  to  a  poor  day 
school  or  to  some  wretched  music  teacher,  she  had  never 
thought  but  what  that  was  different.  Everything  but 
religion  must  be  properly  taught ;  how  that  is  taught  does 
not  matter,  “  because  we  all  are  going  to  the  same  place.” 
On  that  basis,  if  all  were  going  to  live  in  New  York 
City,  I  suppose  it  would  make  no  difference  what  kind  of 
superstition  they  were  taught.  The  expectation  of  join¬ 
ing  a  higher  and  holier  society  after  this  life  cuts  as 
deeply  into  my  present  life  plans  and  purposes  as  did  the 
expectation  of  going  to  college  when  I  was  a  frontier  lad. 
No  matter  how  upright  and  industrious  one  is  in  the 
ordinary  affairs  of  life,  take  away  the  hope  of  college 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


190 

or  the  hope  of  a  future  life,  and  it  makes  a  difference 
at  a  thousand  vital  points. 

I  once  intercepted  a  stone  mason  who  was  building  a 
wall  where  the  specifications  called  for  a  window.  He 
was  not  at  all  inclined  to  be  convinced  of  his  error.  After 
reading  the  specifications  again  he  said,  “  I  am  right.” 
“  But,”  I  replied,  “  you  are  confused  as  to  directions.” 
Then  he  appealed  to  a  weather  vane  on  a  near-by  steeple. 
When  I  informed  him  that  the  church  had  been  moved 
and  that  the  points  of  the  compass  were  entirely  wrong, 
he  pulled  down  the  wall  that  he  had  so  perfectly  built. 
He  did  not  ask  what  difference  it  made  so  long  as  he  was 
doing  a  good  piece  of  masonry.  He  was  glad  to  get  the 
wall  down  before  the  superintendent  saw  it. 

If,  now,  we  go  on  the  assumption  that  God  has  no 
plans  in  what  He  is  building,  then  we  must  conclude  that 
He  is  the  most  ridiculous  person  that  ever  went  into  the 
construction  business.  The  shock  of  disillusionment 
when  it  comes,  as  it  is  bound  to  do,  will  be  tremendous. 

It  is  one  of  my  greatest  sorrows  that  so  many  of  my 
friends  are  building  solid  masonry  in  their  lives  where 
God’s  specifications  call  for  windows;  and  windows 
where  there  should  be  solid  masonry.  The  windows  in 
the  life  of  Jesus  all  looked  out  on  the  side  of  love  and 
eternity.  The  light  of  a  heavenly  kingdom  was  always 
streaming  into  His  soul. 

We  make  the  same  mistake  in  building  our  cities  and 
social  institutions.  They  but  vaguely  represent  the  hu¬ 
man  temple  called  for  in  God’s  specifications.  And  the 


WHAT  DIFFERENCE  DOES  IT  MAKE?  191 

farther  we  depart  from  the  plan  the  more  difficult  it  will 
be  to  return  to  it.  Paul  told  some  of  the  people  of  his 
day  that  they  might  escape  with  their  lives  as  from  a 
burning  building,  but  that  what  they  had  built  contrary 
to  the  divine  pattern  would  be  reduced  to  ashes. 

I  once  knew  a  merchant  who  had  twenty  acres  of  new 
land  broken  and  planted  with  onion  sets.  A  temporary 
house  was  built  to  care  for  a  dozen  or  more  workmen. 
The  ground  was  pulverized  to  ashes,  the  onions  were 
planted,  and  the  weeds  were  kept  down  so  that  none  ever 
appeared  from  the  road.  It  was  a  fine  piece  of  work. 
The  men  toiled,  the  onions  grew  and  finally  blossomed, 
and  the  field  presented  an  attractive  sight.  But  alas! 
the  merchant  had  purchased  winter-onion  sets,  and  in 
all  that  field  there  was  not  one  bulb  to  reward  him  for 
his  pains.  What  difference  did  it  make  —  he  and  his  meri 
surely  did  some  good  work? 

Many  there  are  who  flourish  like  that  field  during  the 
days  of  their  strength ;  but  when  they  ripen  there  is  no 
bulb,  nothing  to  garner.  One  of  these  men  with  the 
meaning  of  life  exhausted  at  sixty  remarked  to  me  that 
one  was  too  old  when  he  had  passed  forty. 

A  short  time  before  his  death  Washington  Gladden  was 
a  guest  in  my  home.  As  he  sat  in  an  easy  chair  after 
dinner  speaking  of  other  days,  and  especially  as  he  spoke 
of  his  sainted  wife,  I  noticed  how  old  he  had  grown. 
Though  his  body  had  about  run  its  course,  yet  the  light 
of  his  soul  had  not  been  dimmed.  In  my  heart  I  said, 
“  What  a  dear  old  man  you  are,  Dr.  Gladden.  You  are 


192 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


nearly  all  soul!”  He  had  kept  the  faith.  And  it  had 
made  a  difference;  for  him,  for  me,  and  for  all  the 
world.  While  the  old  man  sat  there  and  conversed  with 
the  family,  the  light  of  his  soul  sent  a  shining  ray 
“  Far  down  the  future's  broadening  way.” 


CHAPTER  VIII 


HOW  SHALL  WE  CONCEIVE  OF  THE  FUTURE  LIFE? 

i.  Its  relation  to  the  present  constitution  of  things 

Granting  that  there  is  a  future  existence,  are  we  not 
wholly  in  the  dark  as  to  what  it  is  like?  Is  it  possible 
to  form  any  conception  of  heaven  that  is  not  offensive 
to  the  intelligent  mind?  Professor  Leuba  says: 

“  As  soon  as,  no  longer  satisfied  with  a  general  as¬ 
surance  of  unruffled  peace  and  unalloyed  enjoyment,  we 
demand  specifications,  we  find  ourselves  in  the  presence 
of  ideas  and  pictures,  either  absurd  or  repulsive,  or  void 
of  real  attractiveness.  The  best  gifted  religious  seers 
succeed  in  this  descriptive  task  no  better  than  the  clever¬ 
est  mediums.” 

Plave  we,  then,  no  facts  on  which  to  build  a  rational 
conception  of  the  future  state? 

I  believe  that  a  satisfying  view  is  a  possible  achieve¬ 
ment,  because  we  have  some  very  important  and  funda¬ 
mental  facts  from  which  to  construct  a  picture.  The 
minor  details,  of  course,  are  unknown  to  us,  but  the  main 
outline,  which  principally  matters,  may  be  very  clearly 
conceived.  As  we  have  previously  shown,  the  future  does 
not  have  to  do  with  a  new  God  and  a  new  universe  and 


193 


194 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


a  new  soul ;  but  with  the  present  God,  the  present  universe, 
and  the  present  soul  to-morrow.  The  future  is  not  some 
new  thing;  it  is  the  old  realities  a  little  later,  and  a  little 
more  fully  developed.  That  God  will  remain  a  stable 
factor  in  the  equation,  we  may  rest  assured.  And  we 
can  read  nature  well  enough  in  this  scientific  age  to  under¬ 
stand  that  it  is  no  sudden  and  fickle  movement  void  of 
law  and  order.  Neither  are  we  entirely  ignorant  of  our 
own  rational  souls  that  organize  themselves  into  civilized 
communities  by  combining  and  giving  shape  to  the  forces 
of  nature  in  which  we  live.  We  have  plainly  seen  that 
neither  God,  nature,  nor  man  has  any  worth  or  signifi¬ 
cance  when  separated  from  each  other.  In  the  future 
life,  therefore,  there  is  but  one  factor  that  is  different 
from  those  found  in  the  present  constitution  of  things, 
and  that  is  the  loss  of  the  present  human  body.  And 
even  this  difference  between  the  present  and  the  future 
will  be  largely  rectified,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  by 
our  receiving  new  bodies.  For  too  long  we  have  fool¬ 
ishly  tried  to  show  that  the  soul  could  live  without  a 
body ;  and  this  in  the  face  of  the  Scriptural  teaching,  that 
God  will  give  us  new  bodies.  In  our  effort  to  show  that 
the  soul  is  able  to  live  independent  of  a  body,  we  have 
likewise  run  counter  to  experimental  psychology  and 
philosophy.  Scriptures  say  we  shall  have  new  bodies. 
Psychology  shows  that  the  souls  with  which  we  are  ac¬ 
quainted  are  dependent  upon  the  body  for  consciousness 
and  every  intellectual  achievement.  Philosophy  likewise 
teaches  that  man  can  not  exist  outside  of  God.  There- 


THE  FUTURE  LIFE 


195 


fore  when  these  bodies  with  which  God  now  enfolds  us 
die,  He  must  again  enfold  us  or  we  shall  perish.  There 
is  no  reason  for  thinking  that  a  soul  can  live  if  discon¬ 
nected  from  God,  and  the  universe  of  God,  in  which  it 
lives.  If  God  again  enfolds  a  soul,  that  new  enfold- 
ment  will  be  its  new  body.  And  it  will  not  be  a  spirit 
body  because  that  is  a  contradiction  of  terms.  As  the 
Scriptures  teach,  it  will  be  a  spiritual  body ;  that  is,  it  will 
be  a  highly  refined  and  delicate  instrument  of  the  spirit 
—  yet  a  real  body.  This  new  body,  as  was  the  case  with 
the  old,  must  be  our  first  point  of  contact  with  the  uni¬ 
verse  of  God.  And  in  the  future  life,  as  here,  the  whole 
universe  will  be  our  augmented  body  as  we  progressively 
become  articulated  with  it. 

So  all  the  old  conditions  of  the  present  life  will  be  re¬ 
stored  on  a  higher  plane.  Whether  the  new  and  refined 
body  will  closely  resemble  the  old,  is  a  matter  of  specula¬ 
tion.  However,  it  must  be  the  instrument  of  the  spirit; 
and  therefore  it  will  have  functions  similar  to  the  higher 
intellectual  and  spiritual  uses  of  our  present  body.  We 
shall  be  conscious  in  it  and  think  with  it,  and  through 
it  we  shall  manipulate  the  forces  of  the  universe.  If 
we  can  keep  well,  and  work  without  friction,  and  all  pull 
together  I  see  no  reason  why  we  should  not  accomplish 
marvelous  things  in  this  universe,  and  at  the  same  time 
derive  a  very  dignified  satisfaction  from  it  all. 

However  much  advanced  the  new  life  may  be,  we  shall 
still  be  the  same  persons  living  in  the  same  God  and  in 
the  same  universe  as  now.  We  shall  still  be  living  for 


196  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


the  same  social  and  righteous  ideals  as  now,  and  our 
motive  will  be  the  same  old  motive  of  love  and  good  will. 
God  is  not  a  naked  spirit  hiding  behind  nature.  He  is  a 
Loving  Intelligent  Will  revealing  Himself  by  His  out¬ 
going  energies  which  we  call  nature.  In  the  future  life, 
the  same  as  here,  God  will  be  trying  to  come  to  the  sur¬ 
face  through  the  bodies  which  he  provides  for  Himself 
and  His  children.  And  He  will  be  striving,  likewise,  for 
a  full  expression  of  Himself  through  all  the  institutions 
that  His  children  will  be  organizing  out  of  His  beauti¬ 
ful  and  boundless  energies. 

Nature  is  not  the  gross,  crude  thing  that  ignorant  peo¬ 
ple  take  it  to  be.  Neither  is  it  something  apart  from  God. 
With  the  little  intelligence  that  a  few  have  acquired  on 
this  kindergarten  earth,  we  begin  to  see  what  a  divine 
thing  nature  is.  When  it  is  better  known  and  more  wisely 
and  lovingly  used  by  God’s  children,  all  nature  will  be 
vocal  with  God’s  wisdom  and  love. 

2.  Where  is  heaven? 

Heaven  is  some  place,  or  many  places,  in  our  present 
universe.  God  will  never  leave  His  beautiful  universe 
that  is  so  infinite  in  its  complexness,  so  vast  in  its  dimen¬ 
sions,  and  so  rich  in  its  millenniums  of  development,  and 
go  off  into  nothingness  to  build  some  sort  of  mystical  and 
ethereal  heaven.  Heaven  will  be  as  much  a  part  of  the 
universe  as  is  this  earth.  And  this  earth  is  infinitely 
closer  in  its  relation  to  the  whole  than  we  are  now  able  to 


THE  FUTURE  LIFE 


197 


comprehend.  Almost  daily,  scientists  are  discovering 
new  bonds  between  the  earth  and  the  rest  of  the  universe. 
The  inhabitants  of  heaven  will  not  be  less  closely  con¬ 
nected,  but  much  more  vitally  and  intelligently  related  to 
nature  than  are  we. 

There  are  doubtless  many  spheres  in  this  universe  that 
would  make  good  sites  for  a  heaven.  And  it  would  be 
interesting  to  know  how  many  of  them  are  already  so 
utilized.  “  In  my  Father’s  house  are  many  mansions.” 
When  we  speak  of  mansions  in  the  skies  it  would  be  well 
to  remember  that  the  earth  is  a  pretty  good  mansion  in 
the  skies.  The  trouble  is,  being  such  poor  Christians, 
we  have  not  built  upon  it  a  very  good  heaven.  While 
we  have  not  been  wholly  recreant  in  building  a  heaven 
on  earth,  yet  we  have  often  cursed  this  mansion  by  con¬ 
structing  many  hells  of  smaller  or  larger  proportions. 

Another  reason  for  believing  that  God  does  not  plan 
for  a  heaven  outside  the  objective  universe,  is  the  deep 
desire  of  man  to  make  his  richest  ideals  tangible  and  ob¬ 
jective  in  a  book,  a  piece  of  art,  a  musical  composition,  a 
noble  building,  or  some  splendid  institution.  Life  with¬ 
out  expression  and  achievement,  as  we  know  it,  is  both 
unsatisfactory  and  dangerous.  The  same  must  be  true 
in  relation  to  God,  as  evidenced  by  His  vast  and  beautiful 
works  that  have  come  forth  unfolding  out  of  the  infinite 
past  and  now  promise  to  expand  and  differentiate  into 
the  infinite  future.  Even  in  the  sphere  of  human  lives 
He  has  impelled  men  to  express  His  wisdom,  beauty,  and 
purpose  according  to  human  modes  of  expression. 


198  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


It  evidently  is  not  God’s  design  to  abandon  His  works 
of  nature  and  draw  back  into  His  own  thoughts  and 
spend  eternity  in  self-contemplation.  He  rather  intends 
to  utilize  the  unlimited  capacity  of  nature,  and  the  un¬ 
bounded  ability  of  His  children,  to  give  the  fullest  pos¬ 
sible  expression  both  of  His  children  and  of  Himself  in 
a  kingdom  which  has  form  as  well  as  soul. 

In  Chapter  III  I  gave  a  description  of  the  kingdom  of 
God  on  earth.  I  shall  now  repeat  that  statement  as  an 
equally  good  description  of  the  kingdom  of  God  in 
heaven : 

“  The  kingdom  of  God  is  a  loving  intelligent  family, 
organized  around  the  Father’s  good  will,  living  in  the 
universe  as  His  home,  using  the  forces  of  nature  as  the 
instruments  of  His  will,  and  making  all  things  vocal  with 
His  wisdom,  love,  and  power.” 

So  little  has  the  kingdom  of  God  been  realized  on  earth 
that  it  is  like  a  kingdom  on  paper  in  comparison  with 
what  has  doubtless  been  realized  elsewhere  in  the  universe. 

3.  Will  there  be  a  Holy  City? 

There  will  doubtless  be  many  holy  cities  and  plenty  of 
country  too.  The  Holy  City  described  in  the  book  of 
Revelation  was,  in  the  thought  of  the  writer,  to  be  located 
on  earth.  While  it  should  be  our  aim  to  build  an  ideal 
city  on  earth,  yet  like  most  of  our  aims  it  will  probably 
fall  short.  If  in  some  respects  the  City  of  Revelation 
does  not  appear  to  be  the  most  desirable  kind  of  place 


THE  FUTURE  LIFE 


199' 

in  which  to  live,  nevertheless,  as  a  thing  of  symmetry 
and  beauty  it  is  a  marvelous  picture.  A  perfect  city 
is  a  wonderfully  attractive  thought;  and  none  the  less 
so  because  one  enjoys  a  vacation  in  the  country.  If  there 
is  no  ideal  city  in  this  universe,  there  should  be.  New 
York,  London,  and  Paris,  in  spite  of  the  ugliness, 
squalor,  crime,  and  disease  which  they  contain,  are  very 
fascinating.  They  bring  together  so  much  knowledge, 
wealth,  and  power  that  one  feels  the  mighty  impact  of  it 
all  upon  his  soul.  If  one  lives  under  the  most  favorable 
conditions  in  a  great  city,  his  consciousness  so  blends 
with  the  whole  that  the  city  seems  to  be  but  his  larger 
self.  This  is  simply  the  fuller  experience  of  that  law 
of  consciousness  which  makes  a  man  feel  larger  when 
he  puts  on  a  fur  coat,  or  taller  when  he  wears  a  silk  hat, 
and  causes  a  woman  to  feel  like  her  silks  and  plumes  and 
fluffy  garments.  A  city  without  crime,  disease,  poverty, 
or  ugliness ;  a  Holy  City  filled  with  art,  music,  knowledge, 
love,  and  every  kind  of  fascinating  employment;  such  a 
city  would  lift  one  into  a  sense  of  joy  and  greatness  be¬ 
yond  words  to  express. 

From  our  present  meager  knowledge  of  the  universe, 
what  kind  of  a  city  would  be  possible  if  all  the  laws  and 
resources  of  nature  were  fully  utilized?  Considering, 
then,  the  millions  of  people  who  have  grown  rich  in  wis¬ 
dom  and  character  through  millenniums  of  experience  in 
the  congenial  company  of  their  fellow  citizens  of  a 
heavenly  kingdom,  what  is  it  reasonable  to  suppose  they 
have  done  in  the  way  of  realizing  these  possibilities? 


200 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Even  with  our  limited  knowledge  of  nature’s  resources, 
we  know  they  could  have  built  a  city  that  would  make  the 
one  pictured  in  Revelation  look  like  a  beautiful  Christ¬ 
mas  toy.  And  if  the  departed  are  living  in  our  universe 
and  not  in  a  vacuum,  what  could  have  prevented  them 
from  achieving  such  a  glorious  result? 

“  For  thee,  O  dear,  dear  country, 

Mine  eyes  their  vigil  keep.” 

Every  one  is  justified  in  viewing  his  life  in  the  light 
of  this  larger  perspective.  For  by  so  doing  he  not  only 
prepares  himself  for  better  citizenship  in  the  life  beyond, 
but  at  the  same  time  accomplishes  a  larger  and  better 
piece  of  work  on  earth.  When  we  break  our  lives  and 
the  universe  up  into  fragments,  as  so  many  do,  we  are 
like  children  playing  with  broken  pieces  of  china.  For 
each  of  us  there  is  one  life,  in  one  universe,  under  one 
leader.  Beginning  in  weakness,  life  grows  into  strength; 
beginning  in  ignorance,  it  develops  into  wisdom;  begin¬ 
ning  in  selfishness,  life  expands  into  a  kingdom  of  love 
and  righteousness.  At  first  we  are  submerged  in  the  ma¬ 
terial  ;  but  finally  we  discover  that  the  material  is  of  spirit¬ 
ual  origin,  and  that  it  can  be  turned  to  spiritual  ends. 
Like  true  artists,  we  no  longer  scorn  the  material  forces, 
but  see  in  them  all  the  latent  image  of  the  divine. 
Whether  the  image  that  finally  appears  shall  be  a  devil 
or  a  God  will  depend  upon  the  hands  that  shape  the 
material 


THE  FUTURE  LIFE 


201 


4.  Will  there  be  music? 

Though  we  may  laugh  at  Mark  Twain’s  caricature  of 
the  saint  with  his  golden  harp,  yet  music  is  not  to  be 
laughed  out  of  this  universe.  There  will  be  music,  of 
course ;  though  heaven  will  not  run  all  to  music,  yet  there 
will  be  plenty  of  it  and  it  will  be  of  the  right  quality. 

We  know  perfectly  well  that  this  vibrant  universe  has 
unlimited  musical  possibilities,  and  that  we  have  scarcely 
begun  to  utilize  these  possibilities  either  in  the  way  of 
music  or  instruments.  With  the  instruments  improved 
a  thousand  fold  and  multiplied  a  million  fold,  they  would 
call  for  such  noble  music  as  has  never  yet  been  written. 
With  the  technique  possible  to  more  highly  refined  bodies, 
with  time  to  outgrow  all  amateur  execution,  with  the 
leadership  of  all  the  musical  geniuses  of  the  ages,  and  with 
an  unlimited  number  of  voices  and  performers  to  select 
from,  the  music  of  a  heavenly  city  should  surpass  our 
wildest  dreams.  And  there  is  no  sensible  reason  for 
thinking  that  there  would  be  music  without  sound  or  that 
there  would  be  musicians  without  instruments.  We  have 
no  right  to  think  well  of  God,  and  at  the  same  time  think 
ill  of  His  forces  with  which  He  enfolds  us. 

5.  Shall  we  meet  our  loved  ones? 

I  see  no  difficulty  in  the  way  of  meeting  our  loved  ones 
in  a  future  state.  Of  course,  I  could  not  abide  perma- 


202 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


nently  with  my  parents,  and  they  with  theirs,  and  so  on 
clear  back  to  Adam.  The  great  population  would,  of 
necessity,  be  scattered  over  a  wide  area.  After  reaching 
maturity  we  do  not,  as  a  rule,  live  with  our  parents  here 
on  earth.  The  connection  is  kept  up  by  the  different 
modes  of  communication  and  by  an  occasional  visit. 
And  though  the  distances  there  would,  doubtless,  be  much 
greater  than  here,  yet  the  means  of  communication  and  of 
travel  would  much  more  than  rectify  the  difference  in 
distance.  In  heaven,  as  here,  we  should  probably  have 
some  friends  near  by  and  others  remote  from  us.  How¬ 
ever,  we  have  already  overcome  space  to  a  marvelous  de¬ 
gree  on  earth;  and  have  scarcely  commenced  to  use  the 
resources  of  which  we  are  aware.  We  not  only  have 
the  omnipresent  mail  system,  the  telegraph,  and  the  tele¬ 
phone,  but  we  have  made  some  use  of  the  electrical  pen, 
and  are  rapidly  developing  the  wireless  telephone.  Sci¬ 
entifically  it  would  be  possible,  even  now,  so  to  develop  the 
wireless  telephone  that  a  speaker  could  be  heard  by  every 
one  in  the  United  States  at  the  same  time.  If  we  could 
project  the  images,  of  those  speaking,  as  we  are  hoping  to 
do,  we  should  have  a  very  good  hint  of  the  possibilities  of 
communication  in  a  future  state.  With  finer  bodies,  and 
finer  instruments,  and  a  better  knowledge  of  nature’s 
forces,  it  seems  credible  that  we  could  see  and  hear  our 
friends  with  but  little  regard  to  distance.  There  is  no 
reason  for  putting  limitations  on  the  possibilities  of  na¬ 
ture,  even  here  on  earth ;  and  much  less  reason  for  doing 
so  in  connection  with  the  future  state  of  existence.  All 


THE  FUTURE  LIFE 


203 


the  suggestions  are  in  the  opposite  direction.  The  X-Ray 
enables  us  to  see  through  solid  bodies.  Radium,  which 
has  no  appearance  of  light,  will  affect  a  photographic 
plate  through  a  foot  of  iron.  Actinium,  one  of  the  radio¬ 
active  substances,  is  said  to  have  a  chemical  activity 
which  is  about  a  thousand  million  times  swifter  than  that 
of  radium.  And  the  discovery  of  new  rays  is  getting  to 
be  a  common  occurrence.  Everywhere,  nature  is  sug¬ 
gesting  heretofore  unheard  of  possibilities ;  it  is  apparently 
vindicating  what  we  have  been  saying,  that  nature  is  of 
God,  and  that  we  are  enfolded  in  His  energies  for  the 
purpose  of  using  them.  Nature,  that  proceeds  from  God, 
is  doubtless  as  exhaustless  as  God  Himself.  There  are 
no  indications  that  it  will  ever  fail  His  children  as  they 
move  on  and  out  into  largeness  of  life  and  richness  of 
experience. 

We  little  children  on  earth,  as  previously  illustrated, 
are  in  quest  of  omnipresence;  and  we  are  slowly  achiev¬ 
ing  it  by  progressively  taking  on  the  universe  as  our 
augmented  bodies.  Then  how  much  more  rapidly  may 
we  realize  this  process  of  enlargement  under  the  new  con¬ 
ditions  to  which  we  are  going?  Not  only  shall  we  have 
finer  bodies,  but  we  shall  be  in  company  with  those  who 
for  thousands  of  years  have  been  learning  the  secrets  of 
God  and  His  universe.  Our  increased  knowledge  of  the 
world  in  which  we  live  does  not  raise  new  barriers  be¬ 
tween  citizens  of  heaven,  but  suggests  a  thousand  rational 
modes  of  contact  inconceivable  a  hundred  years  ago. 
Every  day  I  am  more  amazed  at  the  way  the  natural 


204 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


sciences  assist  Christian  faith.  Yet  this  is  as  it  should 
be  if  all  things  come  from  God. 

6.  Shall  we  see  God? 

Certainly  not  as  a  ghost;  but  we  shall  see  Him  in  the 
face  of  Jesus.  We  shall  likewise  see  Him  in  our  loved 
ones.  Since  all  bodies  are  primarily  God’s,  we  shall  see 
Him  in  every  face,  when  the  purified  souls  of  His  children 
permit  Him  to  come  into  possession  of  His  own. 

One  glorious  evening  in  the  springtime,  I  sat  in  the 
gloaming  with  my  father  by  the  roadside.  From  an 
exceedingly  hard  day’s  work  we  were  “  dead  tired.” 
Yet  for  our  healing,  the  air  was  filled  with  the  scent  of 
newly  turned  turf  and  the  fragrance  of  blossoms.  A 
large  drove  of  swine  was  crunching  the  corn  which  we 
had  just  provided  them.  The  woods,  beginning  at  the 
other  side  of  the  road  from  which  we  sat,  extended  into 
the  deep  valley.  From  the  dark  shadow  of  the  woods 
rose  the  incessant  din  of  the  whippoorwills.  As  we  sat 
there,  feeling  a  thousand  influences  from  the  sweet  mys¬ 
tery  of  it  all,  my  father  turned  to  me  and  said : 

“  I  know  you  are  very  tired ;  we  have  really  worked 
too  hard,  but  the  debts  must  be  paid.  I  want  you  to 
know  that  I  appreciate  what  you  are  doing.  You  have 
been  a  good  boy,  and  I  have  confidence  in  you.  It  will 
not  be  long  until  I  am  gone.  But  what  a  satisfaction  it 
is  to  feel  that  you  will  be  a  good  Christian  man  accom¬ 
plishing  in  the  world,  when  I  am  gone,  things  which  I 


THE  FUTURE  LIFE 


205 


have  not  been  able  to  do.”  As  the  golden  glow  of  a  late 
evening  sky  fell  across  his  face,  it  mingled  with  the  light 
from  his  soul  and  clearly  revealed  the  Eternal.  God  had 
looked  into  my  soul  through  that  face,  and  I  had  looked 
into  the  heart  of  God  no  less  than  into  the  heart  of  my 
father.  Yes,  he  has  been  gone  many  years,  and  I  am 
here  fighting  the  good  fight,  but  oh  my  heart,  what  shall  I 
see  when  next  I  look  upon  his  face ! 

We  may  depend  upon  it,  the  invisible  soul  of  God  and 
the  invisible  souls  of  His  children  shall  become  visible 
through  their  bodies,  through  their  activities,  and  through 
their  institutions  which  are  in  common.  Their  spirits 
shall  likewise  become  audible  through  music  and  speech. 
Our  Father  in  heaven  differs  from  our  God  on  earth  only 
in  this :  On  earth  there  is  so  little  to  express  Him,  while 
in  heaven  there  is  so  much.  God  truly  has  a  throne  in 
heaven,  but  the  great  white  throne  is  the  pure  and  loyal 
hearts  of  His  children. 

7.  Will  there  be  burdens  to  bear  in  heaven  ? 

Heaven  will  not  be  too  “  soft  ”  for  our  good.  There 
is  much  bad  work  to  be  righted,  and  unfinished  work  to 
be  completed.  We  shall  have  glorious  tasks  to  perform, 
and  splendid  problems  with  which  to  grapple.  Sharing 
God’s  purposes  as  well  as  His  joys,  we  shall  still  be  dis¬ 
covering  the  mind  of  God,  and  getting  a  firmer  grasp 
upon  His  laws  and  forces;  we  shall  still  be  organizing 
nature  and  society  into  a  more  glorious  kingdom  of  love, 


206 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


beauty  and  power.  We  shall  be  making  the  ideal  real, 
and  the  unseen  visible.  We  shall  accept  God’s  will  in 
our  souls.  We  shall  accept  His  will  in  the  forces  of 
nature,  and  make  His  instruments  more  vocal  and  more 
radiant  as  time  rolls  on  in  eternity. 


CHAPTER  IX 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT 


If  the  Bible  contains  errors,  how  do  we  know  that  any  of  it 
is  true? 


A  GENERAL  STATEMENT 

As  this  volume  is  designed  to  be  a  simple  guide  in  the 
deeper  and  more  perplexing  problems  of  religion,  it  would 
be  incomplete  without  a  brief  consideration  of  how  God 
has  revealed  Himself  through  the  Scriptures.  In  the 
selection  of  material  and  in  the  method  pursued,  the  au¬ 
thor  has  been  guided  solely  by  what  he  considers  the  saf¬ 
est  approach  to  the  Scriptures  and  the  best  “  first  aid  ” 
for  wounded  Christians. 

“  In  my  opinion,  the  Bible  is  just  about  one-half  true.” 

This  was  the  quiet  and  serious  remark  of  a  young 
woman  who  had  recently  taken  a  Bible  course  in  college. 
Like  many  others,  she  was  judging  the  Bible  simply  as  a 
work  of  history,  literature,  and  science.  Its  progressive 
revelation  of  religion  she  had  largely  overlooked.  The 
Bible  is  not  properly  appreciated,  even  as  literature,  with¬ 
out  taking  into  account  its  main  purpose;  namely,  to 
teach  religion,  and  not  to  write  infallible  history  nor  in¬ 
fallible  science.  The  biblical  writers  undertook  to  set 

207 


208 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


forth,  in  a  perfectly  human  way,  the  religious  ideas  and 
sentiments  that  God  awakened  in  their  souls.  Through 
succeeding  centuries  these  truths  grew  clearer  and  more 
comprehensive  until  they  culminated  in  the  life  and  teach¬ 
ings  of  Jesus.  The  most  elevated  religious  ideas  and 
ideals  found  in  the  Scriptures  constitute,  in  my  opinion,  the 
absolute  and  universal  religion.  Ideas  and  ideals  superior 
to  these  are  not  known  to  man.  That  anything  could 
surpass  them,  I  cannot  conceive.  To  convey  these  in¬ 
spired  truths  to  the  world,  the  writers  wisely  made  use 
of  poetry,  fiction,  tradition,  history,  and  physical  phe¬ 
nomena  ;  they  conveyed  the  divine  treasure  to  us  in  earthen 
vessels;  and  though  the  vessels  are  beautiful,  yet  they 
bear  the  marks  of  human  imperfection.  We  all  know 
that  an  illustration  may  clearly  illustrate  without  its  own 
truth  being  verified. 

Our  young  college  friend  had  lost  the  Bible  of  her 
childhood  but,  unfortunately,  had  not  found  the  larger 
and  better  Bible  easily  within  her  reach  if  only  she  had 
known. 

As  already  intimated,  even  the  religion  of  the  Bible 
was  not  fully  revealed  at  once.  Certain  crude  ideas 
lingered  until  they  were  pushed  aside  by  a  fuller  revela¬ 
tion. 

To  be  able  to  follow  the  inspired  truths  from  their 
beginnings  in  the  Scriptures  until  they  appear  full-orbed 
in  Jesus  is  of  very  great  value.  Their  full  worth  first 
appears  when  we  know  all  the  vicissitudes  through  which 
they  passed  while  struggling  for  a  place  in  the  sinful, 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  209 

stupid  lives  of  men.  The  history  of  a  truth  is  just  as 
important  as  the  history  of  a  man;  and  fortunately  the 
Bible  furnishes  a  fair  human  history  of  every  great  re¬ 
ligious  truth.  As  the  streaks  of  morning  light  grow 
brighter  and  brighter  unto  the  rising  of  the  sun,  so  the 
rays  of  God’s  light  shine  through  the  Scriptures  more 
and  more  until  the  Christ  appears. 

As  a  progressive,  trustworthy,  and  indispensable  revela¬ 
tion  of  religion,  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  cannot  be 
too  highly  appraised ;  but  as  books  of  science  and  history, 
they  are  sometimes  overestimated.  To  believe  that  its 
religious  value  is  destroyed  if  the  Bible  contains  errors  in 
history  and  science,  is  a  position  as  dangerous  as  it  is 
false.  We  theorize  about  the  Scriptures  more  than  we 
study  them.  Even  in  ministers’  meetings,  I  have  listened 
without  profit  to  many  heated  discussions  on  the  subject  of 
inspiration.  The  discussions  were  worthless  because  they 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  facts  of  the  Bible.  We  might 
as  well  claim  that  the  casket  is  a  jewel  because  it  contains 
a  jewel,  as  to  claim  that  the  literary  forms  of  the  Bible 
are  a  revelation  because  they  contain  a  revelation.  It 
would  be  as  sensible  to  affirm  that  the  whole  mountain 
is  gold,  as  to  declare  that  the  human  element  of  the  Bible 
is  infallible.  Yet  no  one  turns  away  from  a  rich  gold¬ 
mine  because  the  whole  mountain  is  not  gold;  neither 
does  he  fear  that  the  precious  metal  may  not  be  distin¬ 
guishable  from  the  rocks, —  else  it  would  be  of  no  more 
value  than  the  rocks.  If  God  had  made  one  mountain  of 
pure  gold,  it  would  have  saved  much  trouble  in  mining; 


210 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


but  He  did  not  give  us  gold  in  that  way.  He  mixed  the 
precious  metal  with  common  elements,  and  He  mingled 
His  truth  with  human  thoughts  and  human  institutions. 
All  things  considered,  both  religious  truth  and  gold  are 
more  valuable  for  having  been  given  in  the  manner  they 
were.  To  deny  the  facts,  or  to  quarrel  with  them,  does 
no  good.  The  sensible  thing  for  us  to  do  is  to  seek  the 
gold  and  the  truth  with  all  our  might;  for  if  we  seek  we 
shall  find.  If  one  is  careless,  he  may  mistake  “  fools’ 
gold  ”  for  the  real.  But,  fortunately,  there  are  ample 
means  for  testing  both  gold  and  religion. 

How  shall  we  find  the  treasure  that  is  in  the  Bible? 
In  the  same  way  that  we  find  the  treasure  in  the  moun¬ 
tain;  by  using  our  intelligence  and  strength  in  company 
with  those  who  know  most  about  it.  Our  prospects  for 
finding  God’s  word  are  good ;  because  His  word  will  find 
us  if  we  are  entirely  sincere.  If  a  person  studies  his 
Bible  with  the  help  of  competent  teachers,  and  at  the 
same  time  keeps  his  heart  wide  open  toward  God,  the 
great  verities  of  the  Scriptures  will  surely  find  him;  and 
they  will  find  him  deeply ;  they  will  find  him  so  deeply  that 
he  will  be  thrown  into  the  dust  of  humility  and,  at  the 
same  time,  lifted  to  the  sky  of  hope.  Yet  who  pretends 
to  have  found  all  the  truth  there  is  in  the  Bible?  We 
can  only  find  that  which  finds  us.  If  we  wish  the  Word 
of  God  to  find  us  more  deeply  we  must  give  it  a  better 
chance. 

“  Then  the  Bible  is  only  for  the  learned,”  someone 
will  say.  No,  the  least  educated  mind  can  readily  grasp 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT 


21 1 


the  most  essential  facts  of  religion  as  set  forth  in  the 
Scriptures,  and  as  expounded  by  a  consecrated  ministry. 
He  can  likewise  hold  to  these  facts  with  deep  feeling  and 
true  devotion.  If  one  is  ignorant  of  science  he  is  not 
troubled  by  unscientific  statements.  Whereas,  the  edu¬ 
cated  man  is  greatly  distressed  if  told  that  he  must  either 
believe  statements  which  he  knows  are  not  true,  or  else 
throw  all  religion  overboard.  If  the  Church  tries  to 
carry  all  the  ignorance  and  all  the  trumpery  of  the  age9 
as  a  part  of  her  precious  message  she  will  break  down 
under  the  load.  Multitudes  will  turn  from  her  with 
scorn.  It  is  a  sin  against  God  and  the  human  soul  to 
make  claims  for  the  Bible  that  are  manifestly  not  true. 
The  Bible  is  so  good  that  we  do  not  need  to  lie  for  it; 
the  light  that  shines  through  the  Scriptures  is  able  to 
make  “  wise  unto  salvation.”  Having  found  the  great 
pearl  that  is  in  the  Scriptures,  one  will  experience  the 
joy  of  being  rich;  and  when  he  is  once  rich,  he  will  not 
readily  part  with  his  wealth.  Besides,  other  rich  souls 
will  bear  testimony  to  the  intrinsic  value  of  his  treasure; 
and  best  of  all,  God  will  bear  witness  with  his  spirit  that 
he  is  not  deceived. 

The  reader  may  ask,  “  Is  it  possible  to  find  in  the  Bible 
that  which  nothing  could  induce  us  to  relinquish, —  some¬ 
thing  more  precious  than  life  itself?  ” 

It  is  my  testimony  that  we  can.  The  religious  truth 
of  the  Bible,  having  completely  conquered  my  reason, 
commands  my  conscience.  Its  supreme  message  fits  my 
soul  as  a  glove  fits  a  hand.  The  best  that  the  Scriptures 


212 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


teach,  I  find  myself  thinking.  And  I  cannot  avoid  think¬ 
ing  the  same  without  being  a  traitor  to  my  own  soul. 
Though  I  cannot  believe  every  statement  in  the  Bible,  yet 
I  think  I  should  be  committing  mental  and  moral  suicide 
if  I  did  not  believe  and  practice  the  essential  teachings 
of  the  Scriptures;  especially  the  matchless  teachings  of 
Jesus.  Moreover,  if  one  believes  and  practices  the  best 
there  is  in  the  Bible  he  will  be  a  Christian  whom  the 
Master  delights  to  own. 

Important  as  our  discussion  thus  far  may  be,  it  is  not 
the  main  thing;  it  is  simply  our  attitude  toward  the 
Scriptures,  and  not  the  truth  which  they  proclaim.  It  is 
one  more  appeal  for  a  rational  religion  without  stating 
what  the  rational  religion  is.  This  generation  has  had 
altogether  too  much  of  that  kind  of  exhortation.  If  we 
would  but  tell  the  good  Christian  people  what  the  rational 
religion  is,  possibly  we  should  not  need  to  exhort  them 
to  accept  it. 

How  may  one  find  the  Word  of  God,  contained  in  the 
Scriptures  ?  The  method  illustrated 

i.  The  story  of  Creation 

What’  message  of  permanent  religious  value  is  there  in 
the  story  of  creation? 

In  the  story  of  creation,  one  thing  stands  out  clear  and 
distinct.  The  universe  is  God's  loving  wish.  Creation 
is  God's  will  going  forth.  God  simply  said,  Let  it  be, 
and  it  was.  So  far  as  Christian  scholarship  has  yet  ad- 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  213 

vanced,  it  does  not  realize  how  a  thought  more  funda¬ 
mental,  spiritual,  and  moulding  could  enter  the  mind  of 
man.  That  a  loving  God  wills  the  universe,  is  the  great 
diapason  note  in  the  hymn  of  creation.  And  the  next 
great  note  is  that  of  Divine  appreciation, — “  God  saw  that 
it  was  good.”  Then  follows  the  note  of  blessing.  And, 
finally,  the  child  bearing  God’s  image  is  made  lord  over  all. 
These  four  epoch-making  truths  constitute  the  imperish¬ 
able  word  of  God. 

These  four  truths  represent  the  sum  and  substance  of 
all  I  have  been  trying  to  elucidate  throughout  this  book. 
Slowly,  but  surely,  modern  philosophy  and  science  are 
helping  us  to  understand  this  superb  affirmation  of 
Genesis,  uttered  thousands  of  years  ago.  Not  that  phys¬ 
ical  science  knows  anything  about  God,  but  that  the  dis¬ 
coveries  of  science  make  it  easier  for  the  intelligent  Chris¬ 
tian  to  believe  that  God  willed,  and  continues  to  will,  the 
universe.  This  idea  of  one  good  God  causing  and  sus¬ 
taining  the  universe  by  the  mere  fiat  of  His  will,  did  for 
religion  what  the  Copernican  theory  did  for  astronomy. 
As  the  Copernican  theory  made  modem  astronomy  in¬ 
evitable,  so  this  view  of  God  and  His  universe  led  un¬ 
erringly  to  the  Christian  religion.  And  the  Kingdom  of 
God,  in  its  vast  sweep  through  eternity,  will  rest  upon 
these  fundamental  facts  so  beautifully  expressed  in  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis.  That  they  were  uttered  so  long 
ago,  in  a  world  of  polytheism  and  low  morals,  fills  the 
mind  with  wonder  and  praise. 

The  writer  of  this  story,  however,  did  not  have  a  scien- 


214 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


tific  knowledge  of  the  universe  which,  religiously  and 
philosophically,  he  so  perfectly  related  to  God.  But  the 
religious  value  of  the  story  is  not  injured  in  the  least  by 
the  author’s  manifestly  crude  knowledge  of  astronomy 
and  geology.  In  spite  of  all  our  advancement  in  science, 
since  Bible  times,  our  knowledge  of  the  universe  is  still 
very  crude.  To  learn  all  about  nature  scientifically  will 
require  eternity.  It  was  the  poetical,  philosophical,  and 
religious  significance  of  the  universe  that  the  inspired 
writer  discovered;  science  could  abide  its  time.  The 
writer  of  Genesis,  like  his  contemporaries,  regarded  the 
earth  as  the  center  and  main  bulk  of  the  universe.  His 
universe  was  the  child’s  universe,  the  universe  of  the  un¬ 
aided  senses.  On  a  very  large  scale  the  world,  in  his 
thought,  was  something  like  the  old-fashioned  cheese 
dish  with  a  glass  hemisphere  over  it.  This  huge  covered 
dish  floated  in  a  universal  sea.  The  glass  cover,  or 
firmament,  kept  the  upper  sea  out  except  when  its  win¬ 
dows  were  opened  to  let  the  sea  through  in  the  form  of 
rain.  The  dish,  or  earth,  kept  the  lower  sea  out  except 
in  time  of  great  floods  when,  as  they  supposed,  the  sea 
worked  its  way  up  through  crevices  in  the  earth.  The 
sun,  moon,  and  stars  were  supposed  to  be  inside  the 
vault. 

This  ancient  conception  of  the  universe  pervades  the 
Scriptures.  In  the  twenty-fourth  Psalm  we  read,  “  The 
earth  is  the  Lord’s  and  the  fulness  thereof :  for  Thou  hast 
founded  it  upon  the  seas  and  established  it  upon  the 
floods.”  Religiously  this  is  superb,  but  scientifically  it 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  215 

is  incorrect ;  the  earth  does  not  rest  on  a  sea.  “  The  earth 
is  the  Lord’s  and  the  fulness  thereof :  ”  for  Thou  hast 
hurled  it  into  space  and  lovingly  marked  out  the  way  that 
it  should  go. 

The  Babylonian  bible,  which  is  many  centuries  older 
than  the  Old  Testament,  says  that  Apsu  and  Tiamit  first 
created  the  gods  of  order,  or  light.  This  corresponds  to 
the  first  day  in  Genesis.  But  our  author  discards  all 
these  gods  and  goddesses  when  he  tells  us  that  “  God  said, 
Let  there  be  light,  and  there  was  light.”  Whether  light 
was  the  first  act  of  creation  or  not,  the  best  modern  phil¬ 
osophy  would  confirm  the  statement  that  light  was  the 
result  of  God’s  wish.  Light  energy  is  a  mode  of  the 
divine  Will. 

The  Babylonian  bible  tells  us  that  after  Marduk  had 
slain  Tiamit  in  a  great  battle,  he  took  his  sword  and 
cleaved  her  in  two  as  you  would  a  fish.  With  one  half 
of  her  he  made  the  firmament  and  fastened  it  to  keep 
out  the  upper  sea.  This  corresponds  to  the  second  day 
in  Genesis.  While  the  biblical  writer  does  not  change  the 
Babylonian  day,  yet  he  has  no  use  for  the  monstrous  idea 
that  the  firmament  was  made  out  of  one  half  of  a  goddess. 
According  to  our  Bible,  “  God  said,  Let  there  be  a  firma¬ 
ment,  and  it  was  so.”  Our  author,  as  the  narrative 
shows,  in  keeping  with  the  crude  science  of  his  times, 
thought  that  the  firmament  separated  the  sea  that  was 
above  the  firmament  from  the  sea  that  was  below  the 
firmament;  and  that  the  sea  under  the  firmament  covered 
all  the  earth  until  God  gathered  the  waters  under  the 


2l6 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


firmament  unto  one  place  and  caused  the  dry  land  to  ap¬ 
pear.  But  if  we  know  anything  at  all,  we  know  that  there 
is  no  firmament.  God  could  not  have  made  a  firmament, 
for  there  is  none.  He  could  not  have  made  space  on  the 
second  day  because  space  is  nothing.  And  according  to 
the  story  itself,  He  made  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars  on  the 
fourth  day, —  the  day  after  He  had  made  grass  and  fruit 
trees.  When,  as  a  child,  I  thought  that  the  apparent 
ceiling  of  the  earth  was  the  floor  of  heaven,  my  scientific 
ideas  were  no  more  crude  than  those  of  the  writer  who 
thought  God  made  a  firmament.  But  if  there  had  been 
a  firmament,  as  it  appeared  to  the  untrained  senses,  then 
it  would  have  been  made  exactly  as  our  inspired  writer 
affirmed;  and  not  after  the  ridiculous  manner  of  the 
Babylonian  bible.  Our  author’s  philosophy  and  religion 
in  this  case  were  perfect,  but  his  science  was  wrong.  So 
what  is  the  use  of  trying  to  make  out  that  the  Bible 
always  harmonizes  with  science,  when  it  is  absolutely  cer¬ 
tain  that  it  does  not  ? 

When  in  college  I  asked  my  professor  in  geology  how 
the  earth  could  exist  and  grow  grass  and  fruit  trees  bear¬ 
ing  fruit  before  the  sun  was  made.  He  replied  that  the 
sun,  of  course,  was  made  previously,  but  that  it  did  not 
appear  until  the  fourth  day  when  the  vapor  had  settled  by 
virtue  of  the  earth’s  cooling.  However,  that  would  leave 
no  creation  for  the  fourth  day;  and  besides,  the  second 
chapter  of  Genesis  tells  us  that  there  was  no  vegetation 
yet  because  the  Lord  God  had  not  caused  it  to  rain. 
According  to  my  professor’s  explanation  it  was  too  wet 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  217 

to  see  the  sun,  and  according  to  the  second  chapter  of 
Genesis  it  was  too  dry  to  grow  grass.  The  biblical 
writers  were  not  inspired  to  write  science,  but  religion. 
And  it  is  just  as  certain  that  they  did  not  know  much 
science  as  it  is  certain  that  they  did  know  much  religion. 
In  this  story  of  creation  the  writer  took  his  crude,  yet 
beautiful,  little  world  and  lifted  it  up  into  such  perfect 
relation  to  the  Infinite  Creative  Will  that  no  one  has  ever 
been  able  to  improve  upon  it ;  and  the  more  we  learn,  the 
more  certain  it  appears  that  we  never  shall  be  able  to 
revise  his  statement  of  how  the  world  is  related  to  the 
Divine  Will.  Besides,  the  thought  is  so  precious  and  so 
fruitful  that  we  have  no  desire  to  change  it. 

A  message  may  be  perfectly  true  while  the  material 
used  to  convey  the  message  may  be  mixed  with  error. 
For  instance,  I  once  used  an  illustration  in  electricity  to 
make  plain  a  deep  spiritual  truth,  and  the  evidences  were 
unmistakable  that  my  purpose  was  realized.  However, 
on  the  way  home  my  little  son  said,  “  Oh,  papa,  I  was 
awfully  ashamed  of  you  to-day,  you  made  a  mistake  in 
your  electricity.”  Convinced  that  I  was  wrong  I  said, 
“  It  is  too  bad.”  Then  he  tried  to  comfort  me  by  saying, 
“  Oh,  well,  I  don’t  suppose  that  more  than  two-thirds  of 
the  people  knew  the  difference.”  Nothing  could  have 
been  more  true  than  the  religious  idea  I  was  trying  to 
elucidate.  Those  who  did  not  notice  my  error  in  my 
electricity,  in  addition  to  getting  the  idea,  thought  the 
illustration  a  good  one.  And  while  those  who  did  recog¬ 
nize  the  mistake  may  have  inwardly  smiled,  yet  they  too 


2l8 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


grasped  my  meaning  equally  well.  Every  one  present 
knew  that  I  was  not  trying  to  teach  electricity,  but  re¬ 
ligion.  In  like  manner,  while  recognizing  the  crude 
science  in  the  story  of  creation,  we  may  adore  the  match¬ 
less  revelation  of  God  in  His  relation  to  the  universe. 

It  is  as  if  I  had  made  something  beautiful  and  inge¬ 
nious  for  the  people  of  darkest  Africa.  At  first,  they 
would  be  afraid  of  it.  Not  until  they  were  persuaded 
that  it  was  made  in  love  would  they  come  forward  and 
cautiously  lay  their  hands  upon  it.  Then  as  their  fear 
subsided  and  their  appreciation  increased  they  would  ex¬ 
claim,  “  And  devils  didn’t  make  it,  and  it  won’t  hurt  us, 
and  you  made  it  for  our  good!”  But  after  their  first 
curiosity  had  been  sufficiently  satisfied,  I  would  touch  a 
spring  and  awaken  new  wonder  by  showing  the  invention 
to  be  different  from  what  they  had  thought,  and  ten  times 
more  wonderful.  And  thus,  at  every  new  revelation  of 
the  gift,  their  mistaken  views  would  be  corrected,  and 
their  admiration  and  love  for  me  would  be  increased. 
So,  in  the  story  of  creation,  God  presented  the  world  to 
His  children  by  first  telling  them  that  devils  did  not  make 
it,  and  that  vicious  gods  do  not  infest  it;  but  that  it  all 
proceeded  from  His  will  as  a  loving  gift  to  them. 
Though  they  still  thought  the  universe  like  that  which 
their  unaided  senses  reported  to  them,  yet  the  thing  of 
supreme  importance  was  that  the  loving  gift  came  from 
a  good  God  who  rules  over  all.  Than  this  revelation, 
nothing  could  be  truer,  nor  more  calculated  to  put  their 
hearts  at  rest  from  fear.  It  marked  a  complete  transition 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  219 

from  a  polytheistic  and  immoral  conception  of  the  uni¬ 
verse  to  a  theistic  and  ethical  conception.  Through  all 
the  centuries  that  have  followed,  this  new  revelation  of 
God  in  His  relation  to  the  universe  has  been  arousing 
the  noble  ambition  and  commanding  the  loving  obedience 
of  men.  As  men  have  studied  their  good  gift  from  God, 
a  growing  scientific  knowledge  has  enabled  them  from 
time  to  time  to  unlock  the  mysteries  of  nature;  and  be¬ 
hold,  their  good  gift  was  not  a  snug  little  world  floating 
in  a  sea,  as  they  had  thought,  but  a  magnificent  solar 
system  flying  through  space,  and  pulsating  in  an  infinite 
sea  of  ether;  and  the  supposed  firmament  was  but  a  light 
effect  on  particles  of  dust  in  the  atmosphere,  caused  by  the 
light  as  it  makes  its  journey  of  ninety-three  million  miles 
from  the  sun.  And  once  more  devout  men  exclaimed 
with  awe,  “  Is  this  what  the  good  God  made  for  us  by 
the  mere  fiat  of  His  will?  ”  That  God  said,  “  Let  there 
be  light:  and  there  was  light,”  was  the  affirmation  of  an 
inspired  man  who  little  realized  that  light  travels  the  dis¬ 
tance  of  eight  times  around  the  earth  in  one  second,  and 
yet  requires  more  than  four  years  at  that  speed  to  come 
from  the  nearest  star.  Thus  science  may  forever  change 
our  conception  of  the  world,  and  our  sense  of  the  Cre¬ 
ator’s  majesty. 

Someone  may  say,  “  Is  not  this  upsetting  our  old 
Bible?  ”  I  think  it  is.  But  when  a  friend  expostulated, 
“  Pat,  don’t  you  know  that  your  stone  wall  will  upset  if 
you  build  it  on  that  swampy  ground?  ”  Pat’s  reply  was, 
“  Faith,  it  is  two  feet  high  and  three  feet  wide,  and  if 


220 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


it  upsets  it  will  be  a  foot  higher  than  it  was  before.”  It 
is  but  truth  to  say  that  our  old  Bible  is  two  or  three  times 
higher  than  it  was  before  modern  learning  upset  it;  and 
may  scholars  keep  on  upsetting  it  as  long  as  they  can  make 
God’s  word  stand  out  clear  and  strong  above  all  human 
learning  and  bigotry  and  superstition. 

2.  The  story  of  the  garden 

When  I  was  a  boy,  nearly  every  one  grew  gourds  on 
his  picket  fence.  And  at  almost  every  well  there  hung 
a  gourd  dipper.  How  many  cool  and  refreshing  draughts 
of  water  I  have  taken  from  gourd  dippers  I  dare  not  say; 
but  the  memory  is  precious,  and  I  should  be  delighted 
to  repeat  the  experience  now.  No  one,  however,  was  ever 
foolish  enough  to  tell  us  that  after  drinking  the  water  we 
must  eat  the  gourd.  Now,  the  Bible  is  just  full  of  gourd 
dippers  from  one  end  to  the  other, —  and  for  this  I  am 
pleased. 

Let  me  present  one  of  these  gourd  dippers.  It  is  the 
story  of  the  Garden.  Here  is  refreshing  and  life-sus¬ 
taining  water.  It  is  not  in  a  well,  but  in  a  spring  that 
bubbles  clear  up  to  the  surface.  You  need  neither  rope 
nor  bucket, —  nothing  but  the  gourd ;  and  a  child  may 
help  himself.  This  story  is  a  bit  of  inspired  genius,  if 
ever  there  was  any.  My  library  contains  great  fat  books 
on  ethics,  yet  I  never  knew  half  a  dozen  men  or  women 
in  my  parishes  who  had  the  grit  or  grace  to  read  one  of 
them  through.  The  mental  discipline  in  reading  them  is 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  221 


good  for  ministers,  though  the  conclusions  arrived  at  in 
these  books  are  identical  with  the  teachings  in  this  simple 
story.  If  the  methods  of  these  writers  on  ethics  had  been 
adopted  by  the  biblical  writers,  very  few  people  would  be 
any  the  wiser  for  the  Bible.  But,  from  the  dear  old 
gourd  a  child  may  drink  with  ease  and  satisfaction. 

This  beautiful  allegory  was  true  to  fact  when  it  put 
Adam  and  Eve  in  a  garden.  Human  beings  can  live 
only  in  a  garden;  they  must  have  a  base  of  supply  in  the 
products  of  the  soil.  But  what  about  the  forbidden  fruit? 
As  a  child,  I  did  think  it  too  bad  that  the  Lord  put  the 
forbidden  fruit  in  the  garden  when  He  must  have  known 
that  it  would  cause  no  end  of  trouble.  However,  when 
I  became  a  man  I  realized  that  even  God  could  not  make 
a  garden  that  was  fit  to  live  in,  without  its  having  for¬ 
bidden  fruit  in  it.  The  grave  is  the  only  place  where 
there  is  no  forbidden  fruit.  Recently  I  spent  ten  days 
in  our  Capital  City.  And  it  is  a  beautiful  garden,  with 
many  things  “  good  for  food  ”  and  “  pleasant  to  the 
eyes.”  During  the  ten  days,  Washington  was  my  garden ; 
and  the  other  occupants  there  made  me  feel  that  I  was 
very  welcome.  But  did  not  they  and  I  know  that  there 
were  at  least  a  dozen  kinds  of  forbidden  fruit  that  I 
might  not  partake  of  without  running  the  risk  of  being 
tarred  and  feathered?  Forbidden  fruit  is  not  bad  fruit, 
it  is  fruit  that  belongs  to  some  one  else,  or  to  us  at  some 
future  time.  It  is  all  ours  now,  in  a  way;  the  wealth, 
the  beauty,  and  the  people  are  ours  within  certain  limits  ; 
and  it  is  this  that  makes  our  lives  worth  living.  When, 


222 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


however,  we  begin  to  break  up  families,  or  to  take  any¬ 
thing  that  belongs  exclusively  to  others,  we  have  eaten 
the  forbidden  fruit, —  and  the  curse  is  upon  us.  “  In 
the  day  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die.”  This 
is  the  infallible  word  of  God,  spoken  to  our  first  parents, 
to  us,  and  to  all  mankind.  Instead  of  haggling  over  the 
question  of  swallowing  the  gourd,  we  should  preach  this 
truth  about  forbidden  fruit  until  offenders  feel  their 
hearts  filled  with  holy  fear  and  wholesome  disgust. 

Though  the  story  of  the  forbidden  fruit  is  truly  won¬ 
derful,  yet  it  is  no  more  wonderful  than  that  which  makes 
the  serpent  the  symbol  of  temptation.  The  serpent  does 
not  chase  its  prey  like  some  bellowing  hound,  but  silently 
awaits  the  victim’s  coming.  As  the  serpent  lies  coiled 
in  the  midst  of  your  flowers,  so  temptation  lurks  in  the 
heart  of  some  pleasant  situation.  You  may  be  looking 
with  legitimate  pleasure  upon  some  beautiful  thing  that 
belongs  to  your  neighbor,  and,  before  you  are  aware  of 
it,  the  serpent  of  covetousness  has  struck  its  fangs  into 
you.  If,  however,  the  temptation  is  seen  before  you  are 
bitten  by  it,  like  a  serpent,  it  makes  strange  circuitous 
routes  as  if  it  were  coming  and  going  from  every  side. 
It  stops  to  parley.  And  if  it  succeeds  in  entwining  itself 
about  you,  it  crushes  you  with  every  part  of  its  sinuous 
length.  In  countries  that  are  infested  with  serpents,  the 
reptiles  go  everywhere;  they  even  hang  from  the  rafters 
of  dwellings.  Just  so,  temptation  may  appear  anywhere 
to  surprise  or  to  charm  you.  If  you  are  as  good  as  the 
Master,  temptations  will  assail  you.  If  like  Lincoln  you 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  223 


should  climb  from  a  hut  to  the  White  House,  even  there 
you  will  be  confronted  by  serpents  of  monstrous  size 
striving  in  every  possible  way  to  beguile  you.  He  who 
advocates  a  walking  and  a  talking  snake,  does  so  to  the 
great  detriment  of  God’s  word.  We  are  in  no  danger 
from  talking  serpents;  but  we  all  are  in  great  danger 
from  serpent-like  temptations. 

This  parable  and  fable  of  the  garden  is  meant  for  our 
edification  and  safety.  As  an  analysis  of  temptation,  sin, 
and  punishment,  for  all  people  and  for  all  times,  nothing 
can  surpass  this  story  of  the  garden.  Seeing  that  it 
contains  such  vital  thrilling  truth,  it  is  a  great  pity  that 
it  has  fallen  into  almost  universal  neglect.  The  story 
has  been  killed  by  the  credulity  of  its  friends. 

3.  The  Bible  stories  in  general 

I  now  call  your  attention  to  the  interesting  stories 
scattered  all  through  the  Bible.  The  story  of  the  Flood 
is  an  example.  In  a  very  simple  form  these  stories  were 
told  long  before  they  appeared  in  the  Scriptures.  And, 
doubtless,  there  was  a  nucleus  of  truth  in  them  or  they 
never  would  have  been  started  on  their  rounds.  As  they 
were  repeated  about  the  campfires  to  children  and  illiter¬ 
ate  slaves  for  generation  after  generation,  everything  that 
failed  to  interest,  naturally,  was  forgotten.  This  made 
them  the  most  tried  and  interesting  of  stories.  In  noth¬ 
ing  did  the  inspired  writers  show  greater  wisdom  than 
in  making  wings  of  these  interesting  tales  to  bear  their 


224  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

spiritual  messages  afar.  If  the  modern  Church  could 
learn  the  spiritual  utility  of  a  folk-story,  the  Bible  would 
start  on  a  new  mission  of  service;  and  much  of  the  Bible 
now  neglected  could  be  used  with  new  power.  The  value 
of  the  lessons  thus  heralded  in  no  wise  rests  upon  the 
historic  accuracy  of  the  stories.  It  is  perfectly  evident 
that  the  story  of  the  Flood  involves  the  same  crude  con¬ 
ception  of  the  earth  as  that  which  we  have  already  de¬ 
scribed  as  the  ancient  and  unscientific  conception.  If  we 
contend  for  the  literalness  of  this  story  we  shall  make  its 
invaluable  lessons  of  no  effect  for  many  people.  The 
Tower  of  Babel  is  a  like  case.  As  a  parable,  it  is  a  most 
accurate  description  of  the  folly  this  generation  is  in  great 
danger  of  committing.  Germany  really  built  her  Tower 
of  Babel,  and  is  to-day  suffering  from  a  confusion  of 
tongues. 

4.  The  laws  of  Israel  —  moral  and  ceremonial 

If  we  now  turn  to  the  laws  of  Israel,  we  shall  find  the 
same  blending  of  the  crude  with  the  sublime.  The  ten 
commandments  are  the  noblest  possible  prohibitions ;  and 
they  are  still  needed  for  many  people  in  the  old  prohibitive 
form.  Yet  Jesus  takes  even  these  and  transforms  them 
into  spiritual  affirmations.  He  shows  righteousness  to  be 
an  inner  principle, —  a  state  of  heart.  “  On  love  hangs 
all  the  law  and  the  prophets ;  ”  motive  is  the  soul  of 
conduct. 

By  carefully  comparing  the  Old  with  the  New  Testa- 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  225 


ment  we  see  that  the  law,  moral  and  ceremonial,  was  a 
strong  movement  in  the  direction  of  Christ;  but  that, 
from  the  morals  of  Abraham  and  Moses  to  the  morals  of 
Jesus,  the  way  was  long  and  steep.  We  also  see  that  the 
journey  often  deviates  from  a  straight  line,  and  that  the 
road  at  times  is  almost  obliterated  by  the  drifting  sands. 
It  is,  therefore,  evident  that  one  cannot  select  just  any 
verse  of  the  Bible  and  say  behold!  the  perfect  word  of 
God.  When  Jacob  reports  to  his  wives  that  he  has  been 
able  to  cheat  the  father  out  of  his  flocks  because  the 
God  of  his  father  has  been  with  him,  neither  Jesus  nor 
the  Christian  conscience  of  to-day  believes  it.  In  the  Old 
Testament  times  God  was  giving  His  chosen  people  as 
much  of  His  law  as  they  could  understand.  Sometimes 
the  divine  truth  flashed  out  with  great  brightness ;  at  other 
times,  it  was  much  beclouded  by  ignorance  and  passion. 
However,  all  the  light  that  shines  so  brightly  in  the  life  of 
Jesus,  began  shining,  with  varying  degrees  of  luster, 
through  the  prophets  and  teachers  of  Israel.  It  is  just 
because  the  Scriptures  enable  us  to  see  the  growth  and 
the  vicissitudes  of  God’s  advancing  light  in  the  souls  of 
men  that  they  are  so  valuable  to  us.  For  this  reason  we 
should  study  all  the  Scriptures  more  faithfully,  and  more 
intelligently. 

The  ceremonial  law  of  Israel  was  their  method  of 
teaching  reverence  and  purity.  Though  it  strongly  re¬ 
sembled  the  ceremonial  law  of  their  Semitic  neighbors, 
yet  it  was  a  more  useful  method  of  worship  for  Israel, 
at  that  time,  than  if  it  had  been  farther  removed  from 


226 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


the  customary  worship  of  the  day.  When  the  Israelites 
fell  into  idolatry,  they  worshiped  the  other  gods  in  much 
the  same  way  that  they  worshiped  Jehovah;  and  not  es¬ 
sentially  different  from  the  manner  in  which  the  Canaan- 
ites  worshiped  their  gods.  But  for  enlightened  peoples, 
this  has  long  since  ceased  to  be  a  useful  method  of  wor¬ 
ship.  Slowly  we  are  learning  better  methods;  but  we 
still  have  much  to  learn  in  the  divine  art  of  lifting  men’s 
souls  to  God. 

5.  The  book  of  Job 

Passing  by  a  number  of  historical  books  we  shall  next 
make  a  brief  study  of  Job. 

I  once  had  an  interesting  conversation  with  a  middle- 
aged  minister  who,  though  uneducated,  was  a  perfect 
gentleman.  His  mind  was  filled  with  an  elaborate  and 
ingenious  scheme  of  religion  falsely  drawn  from  Job, 
Daniel,  Ezekiel,  and  Revelation.  Tons  of  brain  power 
had  been  consumed  by  those  who  developed  the  system. 
Yet  a  moderate  amount  of  general  information  would 
have  caused  the  entire  system  to  fall  in  ashes.  Ministers 
and  Bible  workers  of  this  type  still  abound  in  astonishing 
numbers. 

In  the  conversation  just  referred  to,  the  minister  was 
wildly  quoting  from  Job.  At  one  point  I  remarked, 
“  But  what  you  are  now  quoting  is  not  true.”  “  What,” 
said  he,  “don’t  you  believe  the  Bible?”  “Yes,”  I  re¬ 
plied,  “  but  I  do  not  believe  that  because,  at  the  end  of 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  227 


the  book,  God  Himself  says  it  is  not  true.  Your  motive 
is  good,  but  it  is  a  mistake  to  think  that  you  can  dive 
into  the  Scriptures  at  random  like  that,  and  find  God’s 
word.” 

We  must  remember  that  the  book  of  Job  is  a  dramatic 
poem,  cast  in  the  form  of  a  dialogue.  Whether  or  no 
suffering  is  a  proof  of  guilt  is  the  bone  of  contention 
between  Job  and  his  friends;  and  both  positions  cannot 
be  true. 

The  author  staged  this  dialogue  on  the  Ash-Mound, 
outside  the  village.  After  the  loss  of  property  and  chil- 
•  dren,  Job,  all  covered  with  boils,  takes  a  potsherd  with 
which  to  scrape  himself  and  sits  down  upon  the  Ash- 
Mound.  When  the  news  of  his  misfortune  reaches  his 
three  friends,  they  proceed  forthwith  to  visit  him.  As 
these  old  sheiks  approach  Job,  and  find  him  changed  be¬ 
yond  recognition,  they  lift  up  their  voices  and  weep. 
They  also  tear  off  their  mantles  and  sprinkle  dust  upon 
their  heads.  Seeing  that  Job  is  in  deep  distress,  they 
seat  themselves  near  him  and  remain  there  seven  solid 
days  and  nights  without  ever  speaking  a  word.  Finally, 
Job  opens  his  mouth  and  curses  the  day  of  his  birth,  in 
one  of  the  most  pessimistic  poems  ever  recited.  Even  the 
comforters  can  scarcely  believe  their  ears,  so  shocked  are 
they  at  Job’s  blasphemy.  Still,  they  retain  a  measure  of 
sympathy,  for  Eliphaz  asks  with  great  delicacy: 

“If  one  assays  to  commune  with  thee,  wilt  thou  be  grieved? 

But  who  can  withhold  himself  from  speaking?” 


228 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


You  remember,  Job,  how  you  instructed  others  when 
they  were  weak  and  afflicted.  “  Recall,  I  pray  thee,  who 
ever  perished,  being  innocent?”  Now  be  a  man,  take 
your  own  medicine,  repent  of  your  sins,  and  God  will 
return  your  prosperity.  But  Job  only  pours  out  his  grief 
in  fresh  torrents.  This  causes  Bildad  to  respond  with 
alacrity : 

“  How  long  wilt  thou  speak  these  things? 

And  how  long  shall  the  words  of  thy  mouth  be  like  a  mighty 
wind?  ” 

Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  Bildad’s  lengthy  rebuke,  Job 
continues  to  pour  out  his  complaint  until  Zophar  can  stand 
it  no  longer. 

“Should  not  the  multitude  of  words  be  answered? 
You  are  too  full  of  talk  for  a  righteous  man.  Your 
boasting  will  not  silence  us.  For  your  mockery  we  shall 
make  you  ashamed.”  And  when  Zophar  had  finished  his 
vehement  reproach,  Job  was  mad. 

“  No  doubt  but  ye  are  the  people, 

And  wisdom  shall  die  with  you.” 

Thus  the  argument  went  back  and  forth  with  crimina¬ 
tions  and  recriminations,  until  Job  and  his  friends  were 
exhausted. 

While  the  discussion  was  raging,  there  came  along  a 
young  theologian  who,  being  attracted  by  the  discussion, 
remained  to  hear  it  through.  It  turned  out  that  the 
speeches  of  both  Job  and  his  friends  were  to  him  equally 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  229 


disgusting.  So  he  decided  to  wait  and  set  them  all  right 
by  his  superior  wisdom.  Though  this  young  man  was 
filled  with  wrath  at  what  he  heard,  yet  he  respectfully 
waited  until  the  old  men  had  finished.  Then  he  reminded 
them  that  it  was  his  respect  for  age  that  had  kept  him 
still  until  now.  Having  expressed  his  surprise  at  not 
finding  wisdom  associated  with  years,  he  takes  thirty- 
three  lines  to  tell  them  how  smart  he  is ;  and  assures  them 
that  they  shall  hear  something  worth  while  when  he  gets 
to  speaking.  Some  years  ago  while  reading  this  with 
my  wife,  I  could  scarcely  wait  until  young  Elihu  got 
through  boasting;  I  was  thrilled  with  a  desire  to  hear  his 
new  position.  At  last  he  began  his  argument.  But,  to 
my  great  surprise,  I  could  see  no  difference  between  his 
position  and  that  of  Job’s  opponents;  and  as  my  wife 
could  see  no  difference,  I  was  convinced  that  there  was 
none.  Like  Job’s  antagonists,  he  argued  at  great  length 
and  with  much  beauty  that  misfortune  is  a  proof  of 
guilt.  Finally,  however,  he  did  add  a  suggestion.  Mis¬ 
fortune  is  a  warning  not  to  sin  more,  lest  you  suffer 
more.  Of  course  none  of  the  older  men  deigned  to  an¬ 
swer  this  young  upstart  by  so  much  as  a  word. 

The  argument  from  all  sources  now  being  in,  it  was 
time  for  the  artist  to  prepare  a  fitting  scene  for  the  ap¬ 
proach  of  the  Almighty.  Consequently,  the  storm  clouds 
gather  and  begin  to  drop  rain.  The  lightning  suddenly 
flashes  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  The  quick  crash  of 
thunder  makes  the  heart  quake.  It  is  such  a  time  as 
when  old  leviathan  chums  the  deep  into  white  foam. 


230 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


And  at  last  out  of  the  awful  whirlwind  God  speaks: 
“  Who  is  this  that  darkeneth  counsel  by  words  without 
knowledge?  ” 

Stand  up,  Job,  and  I  will  speak  with  you.  Where  were 
you  when  I  laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth?  Have 
you  walked  in  the  recesses  of  the  deep,  have  you  seen  the 
gates  of  death,  does  the  morning  come  at  your  bidding, 
do  you  know  the  way  of  the  lightning,  do  you  cause  the 
east  wind  to  scatter  over  the  earth?  With  all  your  wis¬ 
dom,  surely,  you  can  answer.  Job,  “  Canst  thou  bind  the 
cluster  of  Pleiades,  or  loose  the  bands  of  Orion?  ”  Can 
you  thunder,  Job?  Can  you  send  forth  the  lightning,  can 
you  draw  out  old  leviathan  with  a  fish  hook?  Gird  up 
your  loins  like  a  man  and  answer  me. 

Very  meekly  Job  replies,  “  Lord,  I  have  heard  of  you 
before  with  the  hearing  of  the  ears,  but  now  that  I  see 
you  with  my  eyes,  I  abhor  myself  in  dust  and  ashes.” 
He  frankly  admits  that  he  has  spoken  concerning  things 
too  wonderful  for  him.  That  Job  has  talked  like  a  fool, 
God  concedes.  Yet  He  assures  Job  that  in  his  main  con¬ 
tention,  he  is  right.  Suffering  is  not  a  proof  of  guilt. 
Then  turning  to  Job’s  miserable  comforters,  God  informs 
them  that  He  is  angry  because  of  all  the  falsehoods  they 
have  spoken.  Go,  therefore,  and  take  seven  bullocks  and 
seven  rams  and  offer  a  sacrifice,  and  my  servant  Job  shall 
pray  for  you.  And  look  sharp,  “  that  I  deal  not  with  you 
after  your  folly;  for  ye  have  not  spoken  of  me  the  thing 
that  is  right,  as  my  servant  Job  hath.” 

After  all  this,  how  pitiful  it  was  to  see  my  old  friend, 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  231 


the  minister,  building  up  a  weird  religion  on  hit-or-miss 
passages  from  Job. 

We  all  know  that  the  wicked  must  suffer  sooner  or 
later,  but  the  lesson  of  Job  is  that  the  innocent  may  suffer 
also.  From  this  beautiful  dramatic  poem  we  learn  that 
when  the  cause  of  suffering  lies  too  deep  for  our  knowl¬ 
edge,  we  should  trust  the  goodness  of  Him  who  is  All¬ 
wise.  The  false  belief,  argued  so  vehemently  by  Job’s 
comforters,  still  persisted  in  the  days  of  Jesus;  because 
they  asked  Him,  “  Who  did  sin,  this  man  or  his  parents, 
that  he  was  born  blind?”  And  Jesus  vindicated  the 
position  of  Job  by  saying,  “  Neither  did  this  man  nor  his 
parents  sin.”  The  greater  pity  is,  that  this  false  belief 
still  persists  to  crush  the  hearts  of  many  innocent  suffer¬ 
ers.  A  saintly  parishioner  of  mine  once  said  to  me  while 
wringing  her  hands : 

“  Oh,  what  awful  thing  can  I  have  done,  that  God  has 
brought  this  affliction  upon  me?  ”  I  told  her  that  she  had 
done  nothing,  that  she  was  a  Dorcas  among  us,  and  that 
God  loved  her  as  we  all  did.  And  thus  I  comforted  her 
from  the  teachings  of  Job,  and  from  the  words  of  Jesus. 
For  three  months,  until  she  went  home,  she  lay  on  a  bed 
of  pain  in  peace  and  trust. 


CHAPTER  X 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  ( continued ) 


The  method  of  finding  God’s  Word  in  the  Scriptures  illus¬ 
trated. 


i.  The  Psalms 


For  richness  of  spiritual  content,  for  loftiness  of  ex¬ 
pression,  and  for  intimacy  of  communion  with  God,  no 
other  book  in  the  world  equals  the  Psalms.  All  devout 
souls  have  found  the  fullest  expression  of  their  inmost 
being  in  these  inspired  hymns.  Like  all  true  poetry  the 
Psalms  deal  with  the  timeless.  Eternal  truths  and  death¬ 
less  passions  flow  through  these  beautiful,  rhythmic  lines 
like  a  majestic  river.  The  world  is  infinitely  richer  for 
the  Psalms.  And  though  they  often  reveal  mistaken  ideas 
in  astronomy,  yet  religiously  and  poetically  the  Psalms 
contain  the  finest  possible  conceptions  of  the  material  uni¬ 
verse.  Even  the  imprecatory  utterances  are  not  wholly 
immoral,  nor  altogether  contrary  to  the  teachings  of 
Jesus;  for  when  they  were  deserved,  He  said  things  dread¬ 
fully  severe.  But  when  a  Psalmist  goes  so  far  as  to  say 
of  his  enemy,  “  Neither  let  there  be  any  to  have  pity  on 
his  fatherless  children,”  or  “  Happy  shall  he  be,  that  tak- 

eth  and  dasheth  thy  little  ones  against  the  rock,”  he  clearly 

232 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  233 


manifests  an  evil  spirit;  a  spirit  that  is  at  once  contrary 
to  his  own  religion,  and  utterly  condemned  by  Jesus. 
However,  when  we  consider  the  ruthless  exploitation  to 
which  Israel  was  so  long  exposed,  it  is  most  remarkable 
that  the  Psalms  contain  so  little  of  this  evil  note.  Who¬ 
ever  approaches  the  Psalms  in  the  spirit  of  the  Master 
will  find  them  fat  with  spiritual  meat. 

Notwithstanding  all,  it  is  an  indisputable  fact  that  the 
best  Christian  hymns  are  superior  to  the  poorest  Hebrew 
Psalms.  Take  for  example  Dr.  Gladden’s  hymn: 

“  O  Master,  let  me  walk  with  Thee 
In  lowly  paths  of  service  free; 

Tell  me  Thy  secret,  help  me  bear 
The  strain  of  toil,  the  fret  of  care. 

“  Help  me  the  slow  of  heart  to  move 
By  some  clear,  winning  word  of  love ; 

Teach  me  the  wayward  feet  to  stay. 

And  guide  them  in  the  homeward  way. 

“Teach  me  Thy  patience;  still  with  Thee 
In  closer,  dearer  company, 

In  work  that  keeps  faith  sweet  and  strong, 

In  trust  that  triumphs  over  wrong, 

“  In  hope  that  sends  a  shining  ray 
Far  down  the  future’s  broadening  way. 

In  peace  that  only  Thou  canst  give, 

With  Thee,  O  Master,  let  me  live.” 

Now,  if  any  one  should  say  that  this  hymn  is  inferior 
to  the  poorest  Psalm,  he  would  simply  reveal  a  biased 


234 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


mind.  And  yet,  a  hundred  Dr.  Gladdens  could  not  have 
produced  the  book  of  Psalms.  The  Psalms  were  not 
made  to  order  but,  like  his  hymn,  grew  out  of  peculiar 
experiences.  The  Hebrew  Psalms  were  lived  out,  and 
suffered  out,  through  the  life  of  a  people  that  had  looked 
with  straining  eyes  from  many  a  Mount  Pisgah,  and  had 
lifted  a  pitiful  cry  from  many  a  valley  of  Hinnom.  Such 
experiences  get  to  the  heart  of  things;  they  offer  the  great 
prophetic  opportunity  for  the  noble  souls  through  whom 
God  determines  the  destiny  of  a  people. 

What  oratorical  genius  could  invent  a  Gettysburg 
speech  ?  The  necessary  conditions  for  such  a  pronounce¬ 
ment  were  four  years  of  national  anguish,  a  soil  watered 
by  the  blood  of  her  noblest  sons,  and  a  president  bowed 
down  with  grief.  Then,  and  only  then,  could  a  Mr. 
Lincoln  rise  in  the  midst  of  our  hallowed  dead  and,  all 
unconsciously,  speak  words  immortal. 

In  the  long  ago,  our  western  prairies  lifted  by  mighty 
volcanic  forces  were  shattered,  and  twisted,  and  left  with 
great  frowning  peaks  and  deep  yawning  chasms.  As  a 
result,  great  pockets  of  gold  were  deposited  in  their  bosom 
for  the  enrichment  of  the  world.  In  like  manner,  Israel 
passed  through  great  national  upheavals  that  resulted  in 
many  a  precious  deposit.  And  among  these  deposits  were 
the  Psalms  that  have  never  ceased  to  enrich  human  ex¬ 
perience. 

What  the  earth’s  crust  is  to  the  student  of  nature’s 
forces,  that  the  Scriptures  are  to  the  student  of  spiritual 
forces. 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  235 

( 

2.  The  Prophets  in  general 

If  we  now  turn  to  the  books  of  the  prophets,  we  shall 
find  a  new  type  of  Scripture.  These  spiritual  giants  were 
preeminently  men  of  their  own  times,  with  a  message  for 
all  times. 

Before  the  first  of  the  prophets  now  under  considera¬ 
tion  appeared,  Israel  had  already  passed  through  many 
centuries  of  deep  and  varied  experience.  First  the  North¬ 
ern  and  then  the  Southern  Kingdom  became  grossly  idol¬ 
atrous  and  wretchedly  corrupt.  Their  ideals  had  degen¬ 
erated  into  a  mere  cult,  and  their  social  institutions  into 
a  rigid  system  of  oppression.  Through  dishonesty,  op¬ 
pression,  and  irreligion,  the  national  life  had  so  weak¬ 
ened  that  its  destruction  was  imminent  from  inward  decay 
and  outward  attack.  Israel  was  clearly  missing  her  des¬ 
tiny  by  forsaking  God,  oppressing  the  poor,  and  by  tram¬ 
pling  underfoot  her  most  sacred  ideals.  She  was  inviting 
the  judgments  of  God  by  truly  meriting  them. 

Out  of  this  deepening  gloom,  the  lightning  of  God’s 
wrath  and  the  thunder  of  His  purpose  awakened  certain 
sensitive  souls  to  be  prophets  and  seers  in  Israel.  The 
realization  of  the  nation’s  crime  and  danger  transformed 
these  prophets  into  the  most  fearless  reformers  the  world 
had  ever  seen.  As  couriers  with  an  important  message 
from  God,  they  went  in  hot  haste  to  a  rebellious  and  fool¬ 
ish  people.  Because  of  the  real  and  immediate  danger 
these  preachers  were  exceedingly  intense.  To  save  the 
day,  they  strove  valiantly.  If  they  were  to  be  successful 


236  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


in  their  mission,  both  vision  and  oratorical  gift  were  nec¬ 
essary  qualifications.  Their  keen  knowledge  of  Israel’s 
present  made  her  future  inevitable  unless  she  repented 
of  her  sins.  The  prophets  were  not  sent  to  proclaim  any 
new  religious  truths  in  particular,  but  to  be  preachers  and 
reformers  of  the  highest  order. 

Now,  how  different  all  this  is  from  what  I  used  to  think. 

I  once  supposed  that  a  prophecy  was  a  pure  miracle,  a 
case  in  which  God  told  the  prophet,  without  any  insight 
on  the  prophet’s  part,  just  what  the  future  would  be.  It 
did  not  occur  to  me  that  the  prophet  had  the  slightest 
means  of  knowing  the  future  which  he  predicted,  except 
as  God  miraculously  informed  him.  I  also  thought  that 
God  told  the  prophets  what  should  be,  so  that,  when  it 
came  to  pass,  it  would  prove  the  existence  of  God  and 
the  truth  of  revealed  religion.  To  my  understanding, 
prophecy  was  divine  fortune-telling,  designed  to  convince 
religious  sceptics  of  a  later  day,  rather  than  preaching, 
designed  to  save  the  sinners  of  that  day.  I  did  not  real¬ 
ize  that  the  predictions  were  concerning  events  inevitable, 
for  the  most  part,  to  any  one  not  blinded  by  sin  or  igno¬ 
rance.  Nor  did  I  realize  that  most  of  their  thrilling  proph¬ 
ecies  were  made  with  the  hope  of  bringing  the  people  to 
repentance, —  in  which  happy  event  the  predictions  would 
not  come  true. 

A  Hebrew  prophet  rarely  used  an  if.  That  was  under¬ 
stood.  He  always  hoped  that  his  predictions  of  evil 
would  not  come  true,  because  of  the  emphatic  manner  in 
which  he  declared  they  would.  All  orientals  understood 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  237 


this,  and  it  would  greatly  enhance  the  worth  of  Scrip¬ 
tures  if  we  understood  it  equally  well. 

Too  often,  however,  the  evil  prophecies  did  come  to 
pass,  because  sinful  Israel  refused  to  hear.  And  for  the 
same  reason  predictions  of  good  often  failed.  Like  true 
preachers  and  reformers,  the  prophets  dealt  largely  in 
warnings  and  encouragements;  hoping,  thereby,  to  lead 
the  people  back  to  Him  who  loved  them  with  an  ever¬ 
lasting  love. 

“  Do  you  think  this  war  is  a  fulfillment  of  Bible  proph¬ 
ecy  ?  ”  Yes,  this  war  and  every  other  war  is  a  fulfill¬ 
ment  of  Bible  prophecies.  Any  prophecy  that  is  true  to 
fundamental  principles,  and  true  to  human  nature,  goes 
right  on  being  fulfilled  over  and  over  again.  The  dark 
prophecies  recorded  in  the  Scriptures  will  never  cease  be¬ 
ing  fulfilled  until  men  no  longer  sin  against  God  and  one 
another.  And  when  men  cease  sinning  against  God  and 
their  neighbors,  the  Bible  prophecies  of  good  will  be  re¬ 
peatedly  fulfilled  throughout  all  the  expanding  growth 
of  society.  But  the  fanatical  uses  made  of  Bible  prophecy 
in  our  day,  by  some  well-meaning  people,  are  enough  to 
make  angels  weep. 

The  great  prophets  had  their  hearts  wide  open  toward 
the  God  they  adored,  toward  the  nation  they  loved, 
and  toward  the  times  they  feared.  They  were  tremen¬ 
dously  inspired  of  God,  and  regarded  their  lives  of  no  ac¬ 
count  if  only  they  could  bring  Israel  back  to  God  and 
save  her  from  her  enemies  without,  and  her  foes  within. 
They  were  statesmen,  seers,  and  lovers  of  God  and  men. 


238  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


Their  souls  burned  with  an  unquenchable  fire.  They 
were  the  greatest  preachers  that  the  world  has  ever  seen. 
To  learn  the  historical  setting  is  to  enhance  the  value  of 
their  sermons  many  fold.  And  to  study  the  prophet’s 
method  of  impressing  truth  upon  the  oriental  mind  is 
a  marvelous  lesson  in  the  art  of  persuasion.  In  their 
effort  to  save  Israel,  the  prophets  partly  succeeded  and 
partly  failed.  But  their  messages  will  live  forever,  and 
in  this  they  succeeded  beyond  all  precedent.  They  were 
firebrands  to  punish  sin,  and  torches  to  enlighten  the 
world. 

Their  messages  were  simple: 

God  is  infinitely  great  and  good.  He  loves  you  with 
a  boundless  passion,  and  pities  you  with  an  infinite  com¬ 
passion.  But  you  have  trampled  on  His  mercies,  you 
have  spurned  His  approaches,  you  have  jilted  Him  as 
a  lover,  and  you  show  only  contempt  for  His  word. 
You  tread  down  His  poor,  you  rob  widows  and  orphans, 
you  take  bribes,  you  pervert  justice,  you  wallow  in  vice, 
you  pamper  yourselves  with  stolen  delicacies,  you  mingle 
freely  with  the  heathen,  you  copy  their  vices,  you  wor¬ 
ship  their  vile  gods,  and  make  the  land  a  stench.  As  a 
result,  Israel  languisheth :  her  poor  cry  for  bread,  her 
young  men  fall  into  the  vices  of  their  fathers,  law  and 
order  are  forgotten,  and  a  loathsome  decay  is  eating  the 
very  heart  out  of  the  nation. 

Your  enemies  are  quick  to  see  your  nakedness  and 
your  weakness.  Already,  they  are  planning  to  move 
against  you.  And  Jehovah  is  so  weary  and  discouraged 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  239 

with  you  that  He  has  about  decided  to  use  your  mighty 
enemies  as  a  scourge.  He  loves  you  so  much  that  He 
must  save  you,  at  least  a  remnant  of  you,  even  if  He 
has  to  use  your  cruel  enemies  to  bring  you  back  to  your 
senses.  Anyone  who  looks  can  see  what  is  about  to  hap¬ 
pen.  If  he  listens  he  can  hear  the  tramping  of  horses' 
feet  and  the  rumbling  of  chariot  wheels. 

In  true  oriental  imagery,  these  majestic  prophets  ap¬ 
pealed  to  Israel’s  fear  and  pride  and  honor.  There  was 
no  human  passion  overlooked,  and  no  fundamental  fact 
forgotten.  They  scolded,  and  wooed.  They  promised 
abundant  good,  or  abundant  evil.  Their  fund  of  illus¬ 
trations  was  inexhaustible  and,  for  the  most  part,  ex¬ 
ceedingly  effective  with  the  people  of  their  day;  and  many 
of  their  illustrations  are  still  unsurpassed  for  beauty  and 
power.  Nevertheless,  they  sometimes  allowed  their 
imagination  to  run  riot  while  devising,  or  adapting  im¬ 
agery  that  would  attract  the  attention,  and  arouse  the  hopes 
and  the  fears  of  their  hearers.  A  notable  instance  is 
that  of  the  captive  Ezekiel,  when  he  tries  to  portray  the 
glory  and  majesty  of  Jehovah  by  means  of  a  monstrous 
flying  machine. 

While  Ezekiel’s  motive  was  good,  his  method  was 
crude.  He  pictured  a  great  cloud  flashing  fire  as  it  rolled 
out  of  the  north  with  a  stormy  wind.  In  the  fiery  cloud 
were  living  creatures,  and  each  one  had  four  faces  and 
four  wings.  They  also  had  calves’  feet  that  sparkled 
like  brass.  Besides  having  human  hands  under  their 
wings  these  strange  objects  had  a  man’s  face,  a  lion’s  face, 


240 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


an  eagle’s  face,  and  the  face  of  an  ox.  Their  general 
apearance  was  that  of  burning  coals  and  flaming  torches. 
Connected,  somehow,  with  the  cloud  and  these  monstrous 
creatures  were  wheels  resembling  precious  stones,  and 
wheels  within  wheels.  And  the  rims  of  the  wheels  were 
covered  with  eyes.  The  movement  of  this  startling  ap¬ 
parition  was  direct,  and  very  terrible;  the  noise  of  its 
wings  was  like  great  waters  and  the  voice  of  the  Almighty. 
Above  this  flying  wonder  was  a  canopy,  and  above  the 
canopy  a  throne,  from  whence  there  proceeded  a  voice. 
Then  he  saw,  as  it  were,  glowing  metal  and  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  a  rainbow.  This  appalling  chariot  of  Jehovah, 
and  the  awful  majesty  of  God,  threw  Ezekiel  upon  his 
face.  Then  Jehovah  said  unto  Ezekiel,  “  Son  of  man, 
stand  upon  thy  feet  and  I  will  speak  with  thee.” 

Now,  we  may  be  sure  that  the  majesty  of  Jehovah  is 
not  less,  but  infinitely  greater  than  this  flying  wonder. 
His  glory,  however,  is  decidedly  different  from  this 
vision.  Reverence  and  awe  for  the  Almighty  are  sorely 
needed  in  every  generation,  and  the  effort  to  inspire  them 
is  a  most  worthy  aim.  There  is  no  denying  but  this 
illustration  is  an  awful  picture;  one  that  would  thoroughly 
stupefy  a  child.  But  what  should  we  think  of  a  minister 
to-day  who  began  his  sermon  with  a  similar  description  of 
the  majesty  and  glory  of  God?  However  useful  such 
imagery  may  have  been  to  exiles  in  Babylonia  more  than 
two  thousand  years  ago,  it  would  be  positively  harmful 
to  a  modern  congregation. 

Though  this  vision  of  Ezekiel  is  crude  and  very  ex- 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  241 


treme,  even  for  an  ancient  prophet  of  Israel,  yet  we  have 
people  to-day  who  invest  these  wheels,  and  eyes,  and 
heads  with  symbolic  meanings  to  bolster  up  a  monstrous 
religion  that  is  contrary  to  pretty  much  everything  that 
Jesus  taught.  Out  of  the  books  of  Ezekiel,  Daniel,  and 
Revelation,  some  well  meaning  but  untaught  souls  can 
invent  fifty-seven  varieties  of  religion.  But  they  can 
learn  neither  the  lesson  nor  the  danger  of  an  undisciplined 
imagination. 

3.  Jonah 

As  I  am  simply  giving  a  bird’s-eye  view  of  the  Scrip¬ 
tures,  and  the  method  of  approaching  them,  possibly  a 
few  words  should  be  said  concerning  Jonah. 

As  a  great  missionary  book  for  a  people  who  were 
very  unmissionary  in  spirit,  Jonah  is  unique.  It  breathes 
the  spirit  of  Christian  missions  in  this  twentieth  century. 

The  friends  of  the  Bible  have  unwittingly  made  this 
great  book  a  jest  and  a  byword  by  their  wretched  inter¬ 
pretation  of  it.  Even  as  a  little  boy,  I  used  to  feel 
ashamed  of  certain  portions  of  Jonah  when  read  at  fam¬ 
ily  prayers.  For,  as  I  understood  it,  there  was  some¬ 
thing  about  the  story  uncanny  and  unreal.  I  knew  that 
some  people  scoffed  at  the  fish  story.  But  that  did  not 
trouble  me  because  I  believed  in  miracles,  and  was  much 
pleased  that  God  did  not  let  poor  Jonah  drown.  It  was  the 
unnaturalness  of  Jonah  himself  that  troubled  me.  And 
when  it  came  to  his  experience  with  the  gourd,  I  almost 
lost  faith.  When  Jonah  felt  so  angry  and  sorry  that  he 


242 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


wanted  to  die  because  a  worm  bit  the  gourd,  my  com¬ 
mon  sense  revolted  completely.  I  meditated  over  this 
incident  a  long  time,  and  finally  concluded  that  no  little 
boy  was  ever  such  a  fool  as  that.  I  had  felt  faint  in  the 
hot  sun  many  times  myself  and  had  seen  chinch  bugs  eat 
up  whole  fields  of  wheat,  and  yet  I  did  not  want  to  die. 
That  a  big  man,  and  prophet  of  God,  could  give  way  to 
such  hysterical  feelings  over  a  withering  gourd  was  more 
than  I  could  believe.  This  incident  was  a  much  greater 
shock  to  my  faith  than  the  fish  story.  Though  I  felt 
very  wicked  for  doubting  the  Bible,  yet  I  was  heartily 
glad  that  a  certain  sceptical  neighbor  was  not  present  to 
hear  it,  for  I  knew  he  would  make  fun  of  such  a  story. 
What  a  pity  it  is  that  a  little  boy  should  be  compelled  to 
experience  such  feelings  about  the  Bible  at  family 
prayers,  when  a  little  rational  explanation  would  make 
this  book  charming  to  him  beyond  expression. 

Though  the  book  of  Jonah  is  written  in  a  curious 
oriental  style  that  no  man  of  to-day  would  wish  to  imi¬ 
tate,  yet  its  spirit,  purpose,  and  subject  matter  would 
be  very  difficult  to  surpass.  As  a  parable,  it  is  true  to 
the  general  history  of  Israel  and  to  the  spirit  of  Christian 
missions.  It  contains  the  vision  of  a  missionary  states¬ 
man,  and  was  meant  to  sting  Israel  to  the  quick  for  her 
bigotry  and  hardness  of  heart. 

Very  briefly  stated,  it  is  something  like  this : 

The  whining  and  almost  contemptible  prophet  Jonah 
is  Israel  itself.  Jonah  is  a  caricature  of  Israel,  and  that 
is  what  made  him  seem  unreal  to  me.  Israel  wanted  the 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT 


243 


heathen  killed,  and  not  converted.  And  though  she 
did  not  dare  to  disobey  God  outright,  yet  she  gave  God 
the  slip  at  the  first  corner  and  embarked  on  the  sea  of 
politics.  For  a  long  time  Israel  had  been  as  anxious  to 
get  into  politics  and  form  international  relations  as  she 
had  been  determined  not  to  be  a  missionary  nation  to 
her  despised  neighbors.  So  in  this  parable,  Israel  had 
not  been  long  on  the  sea  of  politics  when  a  great  storm 
arose,—  it  is  ever  so.  And,  as  usual  in  politics,  someone 
is  thrown  overboard.  The  great  fish  that  swallowed 
Jonah  was  Assyria.  Therefore  it  is  not  strange  that 
Irsael  offered  a  long  and  beautiful  prayer  in  that  kind 
of  a  fish’s  belly.  Proud  Israel,  God’s  darling,  in  exile  for 
her  rebellion  against  Jehovah,  could  do  no  otherwise  than 
offer  up  a  prayer. 

“  Out  of  the  belly  of  Sheol  cried  I, 

And  thou  heardest  my  voice. 

For  thou  didst  cast  me  into  the  depth,  in  the  heart  of  the  seas, 
And  the  flood  was  round  about  me; 

All  thy  waves  and  thy  billows  passed  over  me. 

And  I  said  I  am  cast  out  before  thine  eyes; 

Yet  I  will  look  again  toward  thy  holy  temple. 

The  waters  compassed  me  about,  even  to  the  soul; 

The  weeds  were  wrapped  about  my  head. 

“  And  Jehovah  spake  unto  the  fish,  (Assyria)  and  it 
vomited  out  Jonah  upon  the  dry  land.”  And  Israel  re- 
turned  from  captivity.  Israel  still  showed  an  aversion 
for  missionary  work  after  her  exile,  but  when  God  said 
“  Go  ”  a  second  time,  Israel  went.  That  is,  she  went  in 


244 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


the  parable.  It  is  clear,  from  the  sarcasm  of  the  story, 
that  Jonah  enjoyed  his  message  when  he  began  crying, 
“  Yet  forty  days,  and  Nineveh  shall  be  overthrown.” 
The  parable  reveals  the  faith  of  the  author.  He  wished 
to  convey  the  idea  that  the  wicked  heathen  would  repent 
more  quickly  than  Israel  if  they  had  a  herald  to  proclaim 
God’s  truth.  Of  course,  a  prophecy  of  destruction  would 
not  come  true  if  the  heathen  repented.  So  God  decided 
not  to  do  what  He  said  He  would. 

“  But  it  displeased  Jonah  exceedingly,  and  he  was 
angry.”  When  Jonah,  the  typical  Israelite,  saw  that  his 
preaching  had  converted  the  heathen  he  was  so  mad  that 
he  wanted  to  die.  I  knew  how  kind-hearted  you  were 
toward  repentant  sinners,  and  that  is  the  reason  I  tried 
to  run  off  the  first  time.  Now,  God,  just  kill  me;  “  for 
it  is  better  for  me  to  die  than  to  live.”  Is  this  history? 
Yes,  it  is  history  in  stinging  sarcasm.  How  the  Israelites 
must  have  writhed  under  such  a  portrayal  of  their  faith¬ 
less  and  godless  hearts.  But  the  author  knew  that  it  would 
take  more  than  this  to  break  their  stubborn  wills.  So  he 
proceeds  with  a  few  more  sledge-hammer  blows. 

“And  Jehovah  said,  Doest  thou  well  to  be  angry?” 
Now  this  gave  Jonah  a  little  hope  that  God  might  kill  his 
despised  neighbors  even  if  they  had  bitterly  repented  and 
turned  to  the  Lord  for  forgiveness.  Accordingly,  Jonah 
went  out  of  the  city  and  sat  on  the  east  side  where  he 
could  see  and  gloat  over  the  destruction  of  his  converts,  in 
case  the  Lord  did  intend  to  destroy  them  after  all.  In 
the  meantime,  Jonah  made  himself  just  as  comfortable 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  245 

as  possible  by  constructing  a  booth  where  he  could  sit  in 
the  shade.  And  our  satirist  causes  God  to  add  a  little 
touch  of  comfort  by  causing  a  gourd  “  to  come  up  over  ” 
His  darling,  “  Jonah,  that  it  might  be  a  shade  over  his 
head,  to  deliver  him  from  his  evil  case.” 

Now,  the  contemptible  Jonah  had  no  business  being 
there  in  the  sun;  he  should  have  been  at  home  helping 
his  wife,  if  he  had  nothing  else  to  do.  But  better  still, 
he  should  have  been  in  Nineveh  rejoicing  with  the  con¬ 
verts  who  had  been  redeemed  from  destruction  by  his 
preaching. 

Note  the  fine  sarcasm  of  our  author,  “  So  Jonah  was 
exceedingly  glad  of  the  gourd.” 

However,  when  the  gourd  was  smitten  by  a  worm,  and 
the  sultry  wind  blew,  and  the  sun  shone  hot  upon  his 
head,  our  mean  little  Jonah  again  asked  God  to  kill  him. 
Now  Jonah,  “  Doest  thou  well  to  be  angry  for  the 
gourd?  ”  “  Yes,  I  do  well  to  be  angry  even  unto  death.” 

Were  ever  such  words  of  irony  spoken!  O  Israel,  you 
are  smitten  with  grief  because  of  your  poor  little  gourds, 
but  don’t  you  think  you  might  have  a  little  pity  for  all 
those  innocent  people  who  were  so  untaught  morally  that 
they  did  not  know  their  right  hand  from  their  left? 

It  would  be  well  for  us  to  remember  that  we,  as  well 
as  ancient  Israel,  fret  and  fume  over  a  lot  of  little  noth¬ 
ings.  Little  griefs  and  little  deprivations  vex  us  sorely. 
But  while  our  brothers  and  sisters  over  much  of  the  earth 
go  naked  and  starved  and  diseased,  we  feel  no  pity.  We 
are  very  tender-hearted  over  little  things,  we  are  deeply 


246 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


moved  over  some  fictitious  story;  but  for  the  appalling 
tragedies  of  dark  continents  and  exploited  peoples,  our 
hearts  are  flint. 

Obviously,  Israel  understood  only  too  well  the  biting 
sarcasm  and  bitter  irony  of  Jonah’s  ringing  satire.  If 
the  author  of  this  parable  could  know  that  a  generation 
has  since  risen,  with  so  little  historical  and  literary 
acumen  as  to  believe  that  Jonah  is  literal  history,  I  think 
his  body  would  turn  over  in  its  grave.  If  he  knew  that 
he  had  set  people  to  wrangling  over  the  question  of 
whether  a  fish  could  swallow  a  man,  instead  of  sending 
them  out  as  missionaries  to  all  the  Ninevehs  of  the  earth, 
he  would  feel  sorry  that  he  ever  wrote  the  book. 

When  intelligently  understood,  there  is  no  other  liter¬ 
ature  extant  that  makes  such  a  strong  moral  and  reli¬ 
gious  appeal  for  social  justice  and  political  righteousness 
as  the  prophets.  The  writings  of  the  great  prophets  of 
Israel  constitute  a  practical  sociology ,  founded  on  the 
Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood  of  man;  a 
sociology  so  enriched  by  a  wealth  of  historical  materials 
as  to  make  it  a  treasure-house  for  all  workers  in  social 
betterment. 

To  save  the  ordinary  Bible  reader  from  confusion,  I 
have  purposely  avoided  all  questions  of  origin  and  com¬ 
posite  character,  along  with  many  other  interesting  and 
useful  facts  concerning  the  Scriptures.  This  simple  ap¬ 
proach  to  the  Scriptures  is  for  the  purpose  of  helping  the 
average  person  to  find  the  soul  of  the  Bible.  For  it  is 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  247 

the  soul  of  the  Bible,  and  not  its  incidental  features,  that 
enriches  the  soul  of  the  reader. 

4.  The  New  Testament  in  general 

In  the  New,  as  well  as  in  the  Old  Testament,  the  letter 
kills  while  the  spirit  makes  alive. 

As  the  historical  and  literary  methods  of  study  have 
imparted  a  new  beauty  and  a  new  significance  to  the  mes¬ 
sages  of  the  Old  Testament,  the  same  methods  will,  in 
like  manner,  affect  the  messages  of  the  New  Testament. 

The  personal  Christ  is  the  soul  of  the  New  Testament. 
In  Jesus,  righteousness  is  more  than  a  decalogue  or  a 
catalogue  to  be  followed ;  it  is  a  character  to  be  possessed. 
In  Jesus,  God  is  more  than  a  Divinity  to  be  obeyed ;  the 
Infinite  Will  is  an  indwelling  Spirit, —  the  soul  of  man’s 
soul.  While  the  Old  Testament  never  recognizes  God  as 
dwelling  in  man,  the  New  Testament  takes  the  God  of 
Israel  and  the  righteousness  of  Israel  and  places  them  in 
human  life;  not  as  a  theory,  but  as  personal  experience. 
This  is  the  old  righteousness  and  the  old  religion  made 
new. 

When  we  say  that  Jesus  is  the  soul  of  the  New  Testa¬ 
ment,  we  have  no  reference  to  perplexing  questions  about 
how  He  came  or  how  He  went.  We  mean  that  the  God- 
filled  Jesus  is  the  soul  of  all  the  New  Testament  teachings. 
The  pure,  strong  Son  of  God  is  the  lodestone  of  the  Gos¬ 
pels  and  the  Epistles.  It  is  He  that  draws  honest  souls 


248  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


into  divine  fellowship  with  the  Father  and  His  family. 
To  see  the  character  of  Jesus  in  its  most  lovely  aspects, 
and  to  feel  His  love  that  heals  and  transforms,  is  to 
receive  the  very  best  that  the  New  Testament  has  to  give. 

The  perplexing  questions  of  psychology,  of  tradition, 
of  manuscripts,  and  of  miracles  are  interesting  enough 
for  those  who  are  equipped  to  study  them;  but  all  these 
are  much  less  than  the  one  essential  thing.  To  know 
Him,  and  to  feel  the  power  that  He  can  exercise  over 
all  that  are  attached  to  Him  in  love  and  service,  is  life 
eternal.  Granting  that  the  miracles  are  true,  yet  it  is 
infinitely  more  difficult  to  be  certain  of  the  truth  of  a 
miracle  than  it  is  to  be  certain  of  the  truth  of  the  Chris¬ 
tian  religion.  The  Christian  religion  may  be  tested  at 
first  hand.  We  can  taste  and  see  that  the  Lord  is  good. 
By  keeping  company  with  Jesus,  and  walking  in  His  foot¬ 
steps,  we  are  able  to  decide  for  ourselves  whether  we 
care  for  Him  and  His  way  of  living.  Though  one  were 
in  utter  doubt  concerning  everything  .else,  if  he  saw  in 
Jesus  something  so  much  to  be  desired  that  he  was  will¬ 
ing  to  forsake  all  and  follow  Him,  he  would  find  him¬ 
self  in  loving  fellowship  with  the  Father.  “  Whosoever 
will,  let  him  come.”  And,  “  Whosoever  cometh  unto 
me,  I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.”  Though  in  doubt  about 
every  question  of  scholarship,  the  one  who  personally 
tests  the  life  and  teachings  of  Jesus  from  day  to  day  is 
able  to  answer,  “  One  thing  I  know,  whereas  I  was  blind, 
now  I  see.”  To  find  one’s  self  sitting  at  the  feet  of 
Jesus,  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind,  after  living  among 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  249 

the  tombs  as  one  mad  for  wealth  or  pleasure  or  popularity, 
is  the  last  word  in  religion. 

Having  thus  blazed  the  straight  path  to  God,  let  me 
urge  it  upon  my  readers  that  they  take  up  the  broader 
and  deeper  study  of  the  New  Testament  literature  as  they 
have  opportunity.  For,  in  so  doing  they  will  broaden 
and  deepen  their  lives,  and  better  fit  themselves  to  live 
in  society  as  those  who  helpfully  and  intelligently  serve. 

But  some  may  say,  “  How  are  we  to  know  that  our 
religion  is  true  unless  we  have  some  ancient,  miraculous 
proof ! ” 

My  answer  is  that  in  nothing  does  God  so  much  de¬ 
light,  as  in  making  Himself  known  to  those  who  intel¬ 
ligently  receive  Him  in  pure  hearts.  When  God  is  here , 
even  if  it  were  possible,  we  do  not  need  to  prove  His 
existence;  we  simply  need  to  get  acquainted  with  Him. 
Miracles  may  have  been  necessary  in  times  past;  if  so, 
they  served  their  purpose  when  they  were  needed. 
Since  it  is  harder  to  verify  an  ancient  miracle  than  it  is 
to  verify  the  presence  of  God  in  our  own  hearts,  we 
cling  to  the  greater  certainty  without  being  too  dogmatic 
concerning  the  wonders  reported  in  a  primitive  age.  If 
one  believes  in  miracles,  no  one  can  prove  that  he  is 
wrong.  If  he  is  so  constituted  that  he  cannot  believe  in 
them,  God  will  not  turn  him  away  if  he  follows  the  Master 
with  his  whole  heart.  If  any  one  desires  a  richer  as¬ 
surance  of  God  and  His  forgiveness,  let  him  be  a  more 
intelligent  and  a  better  Christian;  let  him  make  a  larger 
investment  of  himself  in  the  service  of  God.  I  have 


250 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


nothing  to  say  against  miracles ;  but  I  should  like  to  testify 
that  it  has  been  possible  to  lead  many  to  Christ  by  get¬ 
ting  them  to  become  His  disciples  first,  and  then  letting 
them  have  plenty  of  time  to  settle  the  question  of  mir¬ 
acles  as  best  they  were  able. 

Though  I  bring  an  indictment  against  myself,  I  must 
say,  what  we  most  need  is  a  ministry  with  Apostolic  faith 
and  fervor.  We  need  St.  Pauls  and  St.  Johns.  We  need 
leaders  who  can  make  God  real  and  sin  hateful. 

5.  The  book  of  Revelation 

Seeing  that  so  many  good  Christians  are  perplexed  by 
the  apocalypses,  we  shall  close  this  chapter  with  a  brief 
study  of  the  book  of  Revelation. 

The  mystery  that  once  shrouded  the  book  of  Revelation 
is  gone.  As  Professor  Porter  says,  “  The  historical 
method  has,  it  is  not  too  much  to  say,  broken  the  seals. 
To  the  historical  student  these  apocalypses  have  become, 
in  their  general  character  and  chief  messages,  among  the 
best  instead  of  quite  the  least  understood  books  of  the 
canon.  And  their  importance  has  grown  with  their 
understanding.” 

The  book  of  Revelation  throws  more  light  on  the  past 
than  on  the  future.  It  has  to  do  largely  with  a  crisis  in 
the  early  Christian  Church,  and  not  with  the  end  of  the 
world  and  the  “  constitution  of  the  unseen  universe.” 

The  probable  date  of  the  book  is  about  ninety-three 
a.  D.  The  great  Christian  leaders  were  gone,  the 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT 


25I 


heathen  elements  were  entering  the  Church  with  their 
traditions  and  rites,  and  the  Roman  government  was 
setting  up  emperor  worship  to  strengthen  the  loyalty  of 
diverse  populations.  The  mandate  that  all  should  enter 
the  temples  of  the  emperor  and  worship  him  as  divine 
was  particularly  hard  on  Jews  and  Christians  who  re¬ 
fused  to  worship  any  but  the  one  true  God.  The  perse¬ 
cutions  that  followed  a  refusal  to  worship  the  emperor, 
with  all  the  other  devitalizing  influences  mentioned, 
threatened  the  very  existence  of  the  Christian  Church. 

It  was  to  meet  this  crisis  that  the  book  of  Revelation 
was  written.  And  this  accounts  for  the  poetical  and 
visionary  style  adopted  by  the  author.  Strong  language 
was  needed;  something  that  would  quicken  the  imagina¬ 
tion  and  revive  the  fainting  hearts  of  those  who  were 
growing  cold  and  indifferent.  Dynamite  was  needed. 
No  gentle  utterance  would  suffice.  The  writer  realizes 
the  awful  conflict  that  is  about  to  ensue  between  the 
gentle  Lamb  and  His  humble  followers  on  the  one  side, 
and  the  great  dragon,  Rome,  and  his  vile  cohorts  on  the 
other.  Somehow,  the  Christians  must  be  convinced  that 
the  Lamb  will  finally  triumph  over  the  beast,  or  all  is 
lost.  After  the  sweet,  simple  letters  of  admonition  and 
praise  to  the  Churches,  in  which  he  pictures  Christ  among 
the  candlesticks,  the  task  of  reassuring  the  persecuted  fol¬ 
lowers  of  Jesus  must  somehow  be  achieved.  So  he  goes 
to  his  task  as  a  fireman  goes  to  the  work  of  saving  a 
building  that  is  on  fire.  Ordinary  means  will  utterly 
fail.  He  first  looks  to  the  heavens,  and  then  to  the  most 


252  WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 

striking  imagery  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  never  re¬ 
fuses  a  striking  figure  from  any  source  that  promises  to 
serve  his  purpose.  He  gathers  from  far  and  near  any¬ 
thing  that  will  startle  and  encourage.  As  the  winds 
drive  the  clouds  until  their  blackness  terrifies,  so  he  gives 
free  rein  to  his  own  imagination  while  marshaling  his 
material.  He  commands  the  heavenly  trumpeters,  and 
brings  forth  appalling  horsemen  riding  in  the  heavens. 
He  sees  one-third  of  the  sun,  moon,  and  stars,  smitten 
after  the  blast  of  a  heavenly  trumpet.  He  sees  an  angel 
open  a  pit  from  which  belches  forth  smoke  that  darkens 
the  whole  heavens.  Out  of  the  smoke  come  forth  locusts 
that  look  like  horses  prepared  for  war.  They  have 
golden  crowns  on  their  heads,  and  men’s  faces,  and 
women’s  hair,  and  lion’s  teeth,  and  breastplates  of  iron. 
Their  wings  sound  like  chariots  and  many  horses  rush¬ 
ing  to  war.  And  they  have  scorpions’  tails  with  stings, 
to  sting  the  men  that  have  not  the  seal  of  God  on  their 
foreheads.  He  assures  the  poor  sufferers  that  sealed 
mysteries,  and  distresses,  and  woes  await  them ;  but  that 
Christ  shall  be  able  to  solve  all  mysteries,  and  that  he  will 
command  all  powers  in  heaven  and  earth  to  fight  on  their 
side  until  the  old  dragon,  whose  earthly  embodiment  is 
Rome,  shall  be  cast  into  the  sulphurous  pit  and  sealed. 
Finally,  in  the  most  beautiful  and  poetical  fashion  he  de¬ 
clares  that  the  battle  shall  be  won,  the  clash  of  arms  and 
the  blare  of  trumpets  shall  cease,  heaven  and  earth  shall 
be  cleared  of  their  fierce  combatants,  and  in  that  happy 
and  peaceful  hour  the  reward  of  the  faithful  shall  ap- 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  253 


pear.  Heaven  shall  descend  on  a  new  earth  that  is  re¬ 
deemed.  The  Lamb  and  His  bride,  the  faithful  Church, 
shall  again  be  united.  And  this  new  heaven  on  earth 
shall  be  inexpressibly  beautiful;  the  architecture  shall  be 
symmetrical,  and  richly  adorned.  The  gates  of  the  city 
shall  be  pearls,  and  the  streets  gold.  The  city  shall  not, 
as  the  old  Jerusalem,  be  built  of  common  stone;  even 
the  foundations  shall  be  adorned  with  jasper,  and  sap¬ 
phire,  and  chalcedony,  and  emerald,  and  sardonyx,  and 
sardius,  and  chrysolite,  and  beryl,  and  topaz,  and  chryso- 
prase,  the  jacinth,  and  amethyst.  There  shall  be  a  river, 
and  trees  bearing  fruit  for  food  and  leaves  for  healing. 
All  these  things  the  writer  assures  them  shall  soon  come 
to  pass.  In  the  great  day  of  victory  throngs  of  people 
shall  be  there,  arrayed  in  white;  all,  both  the  living  and 
the  dead,  who  have  washed  their  robes  and  made  them 
white  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb,  shall  be  present.  They 
shall  be  invited  to  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb,  and  to  the 
wonderful  feast  that  will  follow. 

We  are  justified  in  believing  that  this  poetical  and 
highly  imaginative  portrayal  of  the  conflict  was  very 
effective  with  the  humble,  illiterate,  and  sorely  persecuted 
people  who  constituted  the  Christian  Church  at  that  time. 
They  revived  from  their  coldness,  they  turned  their  backs 
upon  the  insidious  temptations  and  allurements  of  the 
heathen  world,  and  went  in  armies  to  the  martyr’s  death. 
Rome  was  conquered,  but  not  in  the  way  the  author  ex¬ 
pected.  Rome  was  conquered  by  being  made  Christian, 
at  least  nominally  and  politically.  The  histories  that 


254 


WHAT  AND  WHERE  IS  GOD? 


record  the  conflict  between  the  Christians  and  Rome  are 
not  less  blood-curdling  than  the  book  of  Revelation.  The 
conflict  was  frightful,  only  it  was  in  terms  of  blood,  and 
fire,  and  dungeon.  If  the  ingenious  and  infernal  methods 
of  torture,  invented  by  Rome,  present  a  picture  difficult 
to  read,  what  must  the  reality  have  been  to  bear?  We 
should  never  cease  to  thank  God  that  these  humble  Chris¬ 
tians  were  nerved  for  the  conflict.  The  modern  world 
owes  these  martyrs  a  debt  of  gratitude  as  high  as  the 
heavens  and  as  deep  as  the  seas.  When  we  consider  the 
people,  the  times,  and  the  crisis,  the  book  of  Revelation 
was  a  means  well  suited  to  a  noble  end.  Who  can  look 
upon  such  a  scene,  and  witness  such  heroism,  and  read 
such  desperate  utterances  rising  out  of  the  conflict  as  are 
recorded  by  the  author  of  Revelation  without  wishing  to 
be  a  better  man,  and  a  more  loyal  follower  of  the  one 
who  still  stands  among  the  candlesticks, —  His  Churches. 
Sabatier  has  wisely  said,  “  Apocalypses  do  not  reveal  to 
us  the  secrets  of  the  divine  providence,  but  do  reveal  the 
optimistic  believing  nature  of  the  sou!.” 

During  the  recent  war,  many  portions  of  our  country 
were  burnt  over  with  the  fanaticism  that  has  sprung  from 
a  false  and  unhistorical  interpretation  of  Revelation  and 
other  apocalyptic  writings. 

The  following  extract  from  Professor  Porter’s  book, 
“  Daniel  and  Revelation,”  is  of  special  interest : 

“  The  more  theoretical  or  theological  messages  of  the 
apocalypses  it  is  evidently  impossible  for  us  to  accept  in 
any  literal  way  as  a  message  for  our  day.  That  which 


LOSING  THE  BIBLE  TO  FIND  IT  255 

they  claimed  to  do,  namely,  to  unveil  the  heavenly  world 
and  the  future  age,  they  really  did  not  do.  We  cannot 
accept  their  descriptions  of  heaven,  of  God’s  throne,  or 
of  the  angels,  their  names  and  functions,  as  a  revelation  of 
hidden  realities.  They  are  at  most  figurative  and  imagi¬ 
native  representations  or  symbols  of  faith  in  God  and  a 
spiritual  realm.  We  are  interested  in  these  things  only, 
on  the  one  side,  for  the  imperishable  faith  and  hope  be¬ 
hind  them,  and  on  the  other  for  their  place  in  the  history 
of  human  speculation  and  fancy.  .  .  .  Although  we  can¬ 
not  receive  their  theoretical  message,  yet  their  practical 
message  for  their  own  time  is  a  true  message  for  all  like 
times,  and  in  a  measure  for  all  times  alike.  Religious 
faith  in  times  of  a  dominating,  aggressive,  or  insinuating 
worldliness  needs  to  maintain  itself  by  the  assurance  of 
the  real  dominion  of  the  unseen  world  over  the  world 
of  sense,  and  by  the  hope  of  some  approaching  manifesta¬ 
tion  of  God,  some  open  demonstration  of  the  rule  of 
justice  and  goodness.  The  apocalyptical  temper  is  needed 
when  religion  is  assailed  and  in  danger;  and  in  all  times 
the  religious  life  needs  to  maintain  its  purity  and  strength 
by  some  sort  of  protest  against  the  world,  some  defiance 
of  ruling  ideals  and  customs,  some  faith  in  realities  above 
those  of  sense,  and  in  truths  contrary  to  appearances. 
The  greater  apocalypses  were  inspired  by  a  living  faith 
in  the  ideal  and  an  eager  expectation  of  its  coming  into 
reality;  and  faith  in  ideals  which  the  world  contradicts  is 
too  rare  and  precious  a  thing  to  be  despised  because  its 
form  is  strange.” 


\ 


/ 


Date  Due 

r  w 

I  o 

ft 

E 

1 

I 

f> 

